POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 9, 2016) – Senior right side hitter Reno Kriz totaled a team-best 17 kills on Wednesday evening to lead the No. 12 Vassar College men's volleyball team to an exciting 3-2 win over Baruch College in non-conference action from Kenyon Hall. The Brewers prevailed with scores of 25-18, 25-27, 25-15, 23-25, and 15-13.

The story of the match was two-fold, as Vassar's defense was stellar, totaling a season-best 18 team rejections. The Brewers also saw the visiting Bearcats (9-9) commit 18 service errors, which proved to be just enough for Vassar (15-5) to sneak by their visitors Wednesday evening.

The opening set started with a strong push by the Bearcats, as they led by as many as three points at 14-11 after a kill from Brady Ambro. Vassar surged following that point, tallying six straight points to turn that three-point disadvantage into a three-point lead. Baruch twice pulled to within two, but four consecutive points including two blocks by Matthew Knigge, pushed VC out for good in the set.

Kriz posted six kills in the opening set, while Brian Manley also added five offensive finishes for the Brewers. The second game needed extra points to be decided, but Vassar showed a ton of fight to get back into a set that looked lost from the get-go. Down 19-10, VC clawed back into the game and fended off three set-points to deadlock the stanza at 24.

Baruch earned another chance to end the set, but once again VC fended off the attempt and earned a set point of its own at 26-25. Baruch escaped two set points from Vassar before pulling the match even on kills by Samuel Rabidoux and Ambro.

The Brewers dominated the third game, chalking up 17 kills in the stanza, including seven from Manley to retake a 2-1 lead in the match. In the set, the Brewers hit .577 and were able to side out on 13 of their 15 chances. VC cooled off in the fourth set offensively, hitting just .031 as Baruch took the lead at 9-8 and never looked back in forcing a fifth set.

In the last stanza, the two teams traded blows during the early going, as Baruch deadlocked the set at six after a short 3-1 run by Vassar. The Brewers followed the tie score with a 4-0 run, fueled by two blocks, a kill and an assist from sophomore setter Zechariah Lee. Defense would be the key in the final game for VC, chalking up four blocks before freshman George Diehl ended the match on a kill to finish off the Bearcats.

Kriz earned his 17 kills on 44 attempts, adding six digs and five assisted blocks as well. Manley totaled 14 terminations on the evening, which was a career-best for the sophomore outside hitter, marking his second career double-digit kill contest.

Knigge had a huge night for the Brewers as well, as his efficiency was key, posting 11 kills, a hitting rate of .556 and ten total blocks (8 assisted, 2 solo). The 10 blocks in a game were the most for a Vassar player since Lucas Rathjens posted a school record 12 against New Jersey City University on March 17, 2012. As it was, the 10 blocks by Knigge were the third-most in a match ever for a Brewer.

The 18 total blocks for Vassar tied for the second-most in a match ever, eclipsed only by the 19.5 posted against New York University back on February 13, 2001. It was the most for a VC team since 2007, as the Brewers also finished with 18 total rejections against New Paltz.

Lee added a very strong night from the setter position, chalking up a double-double of 47 assists and 11 digs, helping on five blocks himself. Junior libero Trey Cimorelli led the Brewers with 13 digs and three assists, while fellow junior Quinn Rutledge posted eight of the 60 Vassar kills on the evening. Diehl finished with seven kills as well, booking a career-high nine blocks, the fourth-most in a match ever for a VC player.

Ambro posted a match-high 22 kills for the Bearcats, while teammate Stephen Roach added 15 kills and six digs. Rabidoux led BC with seven blocks, and Taylor Higgs chalked up a contest-high 16 digs. Scott Standring also dished out 44 assists in the loss for Baruch.

Vassar will have a quick turnaround between matches, hosting Hunter College Friday evening at 7 p.m. in Kenyon Hall.