POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 22, 2016) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team will travel down into the city Tuesday evening for a hugely important United Volleyball Conference (UVC) contest against the Violets of New York University, as the Brewers look to move to 12-2 on the season and 3-1 in the conference. Vassar is fresh off a 2-0 weekend at Penn State-Behrend, taking care of the host Lions in four games before knocking off Bard College 3-0.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. New York University (5-6, 2-1)
Links:
(Vassar's Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(NYU Men's Volleyball Home Pages) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: New York, NY
Facility: Brooklyn Athletic Facility
Date: February 23, 2016
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)

What To Watch For
This will be one of the biggest matches of the season for both squads, as the competitive nature of the United Volleyball Conference makes matches between the top six teams immensely important. With six teams ranked in the Top 15 and only six teams qualifying for the UVC Tournament, true road games like this one are big tests for the Brewers. Dispute its 5-6 overall mark, the Violets come into the game with a 2-1 UVC mark, having defeated strong teams in MIT and Elmira College. Offensive output has been the strength for both teams, so the squad that is able to put balls away could be the one walking away with the huge UVC win Tuesday evening in a strange 7:30 start time in Brooklyn.

A Look At The No. 11 Violets (5-6, 2-1 UVC)
The Violets have played just one match since February 13, falling to Stevens Institute of Technology 3-0 last Thursday night in straight sets. Before that, the Violets were able to outlast both MIT and Elmira in five games, rallying from down 2-1 in both matches. The Violets have played five matches that have gone the distance this year, going 2-3 in five-setters. Tuesday night's game will be the first match for NYU in the Brooklyn Athletic Center, as the Jerome Coles Sports Center has been closed as the University builds a new athletic center. Looking at the statistics, NYU is seventh in the conference in kills per set with 11.40, while allowing the most terminations per game at 11.67 a game. NYU does block more attacks than any team in the conference, posting 2.50 a contest.

Offensively, Nick Benson is the main threat for the Violets, as he posts 3.35 kills per set and has chalked up 134 kills on the year. Chase Klein is hitting .200 on the year, boasting 120 kills as well, while Chase Corbett and Phil Bueno have 79 and 72 terminations, apiece. Benson is among the service leaders in the UVC, posting 18 aces thus far this season, while defensive specialist Benjamin Oxnard has a team-best 72 digs. Corbett has a team-leading 48 blocks, fourth-best in the UVC, while Derrick Chiu dishes out 9.60 assists per set, fourth-best in the UVC.

Against NYU All-Time
Vassar is 12-30 against the Violets in the all-time series, dating back to 1990. Last year, the Brewers posted a thrilling five-set win over the Violets but fell in the UVC match at Elmira in four games.

Solid Through 13
The Brewers are 11-2 through 13 matches, which is the best start since the Brewers chalked up the same 11-2 mark back in the 2003 season. VC's winning percentage of .846 is sixth-best in NCAA Division III.

Massive Matt
Sophomore Matthew Knigge has continued his strong start to the season for VC, and is now second in the conference in hitting percentage with a .523 rate. He's also third in the UVC in blocks per set with 1.16, leading the league with 52 rejections.

George "The Animal" Diehl
Freshman George Diehl was voted as the UVC Rookie of the Week for his play last week, and comes into the week sixth in hitting percentage in the conference with a .415 percentage.

Kriz-ly Bear
Senior Reno Kriz has once again been the go-to arm for the Brewers, as his right arm has accounted for 3.44 terminations per set, third-most in the UVC. He's also moved into sixth all-time in kills at VC with his 1,122. His kill total for a career is the third-most of any active Division III men's volleyball player.

Golddigger
Junior Trey Cimorelli has been gold for the Brewers in the back, as his 2.57 digs per game are third-most in the UVC. The junior moved into sixth at VC with his 684 digs recently, which is also the fourth-most of any active Division III volleyball player.

Try Again Folks
Vassar's defense has been strong at the net, as the Brewers are holding teams to a .129 hitting percentage, which is the lowest in the UVC.

I'll Have A Go
The Brewers have relied on Reno Kriz for a long time, now into his senior season with VC. In fact, Kriz is the NCAA Division III active career leader in total attempts with 2.778 attacks through his three-plus years on campus.

Manley Man
Sophomore Brian Manley has already chalked up 42 kills this year as a sophomore, one short of his total from all of last year as a freshman.

Up Next
The Brewers will head to Springfield, MA at 2 p.m. for a very tough tri-match this Saturday, taking on top-ranked Springfield College for the second time this year, also battling Lasell College.