POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 25, 2017) --  The Vassar College men's volleyball team (4-3), currently ranked No. 9 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 15 poll, will head to Union, NJ for the Clash at Kean Tournament this Saturday afternoon. Vassar will take on No. 14 Rivier University early in the day, before taking on the Royals of Eastern Mennonite University in the second and final match.
 
Clash at Kean Tournament Website
 
Match Details
Opponent: vs. No. 14 Rivier University (1-1)
Links: (Rivier's Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule)(Stats)
Site: Union, NJ | at Kean University
Facility: Harwood Arena Court #1
Date: January 28, 2017
Time: 11:30 a.m.
 
Opponent: vs. Eastern Mennonite University (2-2)
Links: (EMU's Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule)(Stats)
Site: Union, NJ | at Kean University
Facility: Harwood Arena Court #2
Date: January 28, 2017
Time: 2 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Vassar College men's squad split a pair of matches during its last day of competition, falling to now-No. 5 Wentworth Institute of Technology in four games, before finishing up the SUNY Poly Wildcat Invitational with a four-set win over Wells College. The Brewers were 3-1 on the weekend, also knocking off Elms College and Lakeland College on Friday evening.
 
A Look At The Brewers (4-3):
 

• The Brewers will look to keep its hot streak going, having won three of its last four despite having to play its first 10 matches of the season on the road.
• Vassar will not host its first contest on campus until the Vassar College Invitational in the Athletics and Fitness Center, taking on Mount Saint Vincent and No. 12 Stevenson University on February 10.
• After leading the UVC in hitting percentage last year, the Brewers come into the weekend ranked No. 8 in the category, hitting .191 for the season.
• Vassar's defense has been strong thus far this year, as opponents have averaged just 9.33 kills per set, the second-lowest number in the United Volleyball Conference behind just the 9.31 from Nazareth.
• VC has also passed quite well this far, surrendering 0.58 aces per set, the second-best rate in the UVC.
• Sophomore George Diehl ranks No. 7 in kills per set thus far this season in the conference, posting 2.94 winners per set. Senior co-captain Christian Lizana is eighth in the UVC with 2.91 a game.
• Junior Matthew Knigge has posted the most blocks in the UVC to date with 27, and is second in rejections per set with 1.13 a game.
• Senior co-captain Trey Cimorelli currently leads the conference in digs per game, as he has chalked up 2.83 defensive saves a set. He is also 98 digs away from becoming the second VC players with 1000 for his career.
• With his 47 assists in the last match against Wells, Vassar junior setter Zechariah Lee passed 2000 helpers for his career, and now sits in fifth all-time with 2041 in his tenure.
• With the matches in New Jersey on Saturday, it will mark the third state this season VC has competed in, playing three matches in California and all four last weekend in upstate New York.

 
A Look At The Raiders (1-1):
 

• Rivier comes into the weekend with a 1-1 mark, having fallen to 2016 National Runner-Up and top-ranked Springfield College before taking down Endicott College in three games last Saturday.
• The Raiders come into the weekend ranked No. 14 according to the most recent AVCA poll, earning 33 votes, just ahead of Juniata College and behind Stevenson. Vassar will play both of those squad later in the season.
• The Raiders were picked to finish second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, behind just No. 5 Wentworth. Rivier had won seven straight GNAC titles from 2008 to 2014.
• The Raiders are hitting .281 through two matches, averaging 12.67 kills per set.
• Rivier tops the GNAC for digs per set, chalking up 10.33 per game, while also ranking third in blocks per set with 1.17 a game.
• Senior Ian Wolski leads the GNAC and Rivier in kills per set with 3.67 terminations per game, while Grant Andler is second on the team with 3.17 kills a game. He ranks fifth in the GNAC.
• Junior libero Garrett Bucklin is first in the conference in digs per set with 3.50, while Cam Roth ranks fourth with 2.25 saves a game.
• Vassar is 2-2 all-time against the Raiders of Rivier, defeating the Raiders in four games back in February of 2013 at Baruch College. All four matches between the two sides have gone at least four games.

 
A Look At The Royals (2-2):

• The Royals of Eastern Mennonite will head north after knocking off Lancaster Bible and falling to King (TN) in home action last weekend. EMU will battle No. 7 Nazareth and No. 10 Kean in addition to taking on the No. 9 Brewers Friday and Saturday.
• Eastern Mennonite is one of just three Division III programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia, joining Marymount University and brand-new program Southern Virginia University in that category. In fact, there are just four NCAA teams in Virginia with Division I George Mason being the other.
• The Royals play in the Continental Volleyball Conference, but these two teams used to be conference partners, as both were part of the now defunct North East Collegiate Volleyball Association.
• EMU is third in the CVC in hitting percentage, posting a .203 hitting clip, behind just Marymount and Rutgers-Newark. EMU is second in kills per set with 11.69 a game.
• The Royals service game has yet to get going, as the Royals are last in the CVC in total service aces with 11, ranking sixth in aces per set with 0.80.
• EMU does block well though, as the Royals come into the weekend with a total of 42 rejections, while its 3.19 blocks per set is the most in the CVC.
• Junior outside Tim Callahan leads the team with 39 kills and 3.00 kills a game, while freshman Joshua Elmore has added 2.82 kills per set and 1.82 digs per stanza.
• Junior Dan Lutz leads the Royals and CVC in blocks per game with 1.62, while teammates RJ Ocampo and Travis Abele are 2-3 in the conference with 1.23 and 1.11 a set, respectively.
• Junior William Ragland ranks in the top four in the CVC in aces per game with 0.67, as he has six of the team's 11 aces on the season.
• The Royals hold a 6-5 overall mark against the Brewers all-time, though the two squads haven't played since the two parted ways for different conferences back in 2011. VC has won four of the last five meetings, with the last two finishing in three set.

 
Up Next: Vassar will head to the Hall of Fame Classic February 3-4 at Springfield College, taking part in the prestigious tournament with Springfield, Kean and New York University. VC will play NYU Friday evening at 8 p.m., host a skills clinic in the day and then play again Saturday evening against either Kean or Springfield.