POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 10, 2016) – The No. 12 Vassar College men's volleyball team will look to post back-to-back wins Friday evening when the Hawks of Hunter College come to Kenyon Hall at 7 p.m. for a non-conference match. VC will return to the floor after eking out a hard-fought, five-set win over Baruch College Wednesday evening. In that match, Vassar College chalked up the second-most blocks in a match ever as a team, rejection 18 Bearcat attacks in the win. Also, senior Reno Kriz totaled 17 kills to lead the Brewers, while Knigge added a huge double-double of 11 kills and 10 total blocks.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Hunter College (16-6, 10-0 CUNYAC)
Links:
(Vassar's Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Hunter Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Kenyon Hall
Date: March 11, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Live Coverage: (Live Stats)(Live Video)

What To Look For
The Brewers will take on a CUNYAC opponent for the second consecutive match on Friday evening, hosting the conference-leading Hawks of Hunter College. Hunter is enjoying one of its best seasons in program history, coming in with a 16-6 overall record and a 10-0 mark within the CUNYAC. Hunter has won its last five matches coming into Friday evening's affair, and has earned wins over ranked opponents in No. 14 Stevenson University and No. 8 New York University. Vassar has gone 12-1 this season against unranked opponents, though the Hawks are earning votes in the recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 15 poll. Hunter is solid defensively, leading its conference in blocks per set, so it will be important for Vassar to continue its balance on offense to move the block around Friday evening.

A Look at the Hawks (16-6, 10-0 CUNYAC)
Hunter College is looking to continue the run of solid play it has had lately, having earned a perfect 10-0 conference mark in the CUNYAC this season. The Hawks have won five consecutive games coming in, dropping only one set over that time. The last loss for the Hawks came back on February 20 to Juniata College, a four-set defeat for Hunter. The Hawks lead the CUNYAC in hitting percentage as a team, posting a .232 percentage, while also holding teams to a .166 rate against. The Hawks add 9.96 digs per set to their resume, which is a very strong number for a team that is on the offensive in much of its matches.

Steven Tarquinio leads the Hawks and the CUNYAC in hitting percentage this season thus far, chalking up a .340 rate while teammate Benjamin Crusinberry has a team-best 225 kills, which ranks seventh in the conference. Nicolas Sanchez is sixth in the conference in assists per set with 6.43 a game, while Matthew Zukowski has a team-leading 24 service aces. Tarquinio also leads the CUNYAC in blocks per set, averaging nearly one rejection a game.

Against Hunter All-Time
The Brewers are 9-4 against Hunter all-time, taking the last three matches in the series. Vassar knocked off the Hawks down in the city last year in five grueling games, but took the previous two matches with HC 3-0.

Block Party
Vassar middle hitter Matthew Knigge posted 10 total blocks in a five-set win over Baruch, which was the third most rejections in a game ever at Vassar.

Killa' Kriz
Captain Reno Kriz contributed 17 Kills to the Brewers' win over Baruch College. The senior currently has 265 kills this season, and is ranked seventh overall for career kills.
 
On the Attack
The Brewers have an overall attack percentage of .276, creating a .276-.167 advantage in that category.
 
Cimorelli, Can You Dig it?
Libero Trey Cimorelli leads the teams in digs with an average of 2.38 digs per set. Cimorelli has earned 171 digs so far this season and is currently ranked fourth in career digs per set.
 
"Ace"ing it
Zechariah Lee currently leads the team with 26 service aces, contributing to the Brewers' 113-79 advantage in that category.
 
Breadwinners
Of the 1,194.5 points that the Brewers have earned so far this season, Reno Kriz has snagged 295.5 and Matthew Knigge has earned 280 points. Their combined efforts contribute to 48% of the points scored this season.
 
Riding Solo
So far this season, the Brewers have earned a total of 41 solo blocks. Matthew Knigge leads with 22 solo blocks, followed by George Diehl with a total of eight solo blocks.
 
Going, Going, Gone
The Brewers' match up against Hunter College marks their last home game for the next two weeks. After that, Vassar will compete in a series of four away games. The Brewers will return to Kenyon Hall on March of 26.
 
Up Next
The Brewers will head out to Hamburg, NY to take on D'Youville College on Friday, March 18 at 6 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. first serve with Hilbert College.