POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 31, 2017) – The Vassar College men's volleyball will travel to Springfield, MA this weekend to battle some of the best teams in Division III in the annual International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic, hosted by No. 1 Springfield College. The Brewers will be looking to get back in the win column, having dropped its last outing to Eastern Mennonite University in five sets last Saturday at the Clash of Kean Tournament. VC will take on No. 6 New York University Friday, while No. 10 Kean and the top ranked Pride will play in the other first round matchup.
 
Game Details
Opponent: vs. No. 6 New York University (4-1)
Links: 
(NYU's Men's Volleyball Home Page)(Roster) (Schedule)(Statistics)
Site: Springfield, MA
Facility: Blake Arena
Date: February 3, 2017
Time: 6 p.m.
 
Opponent: vs. No. 1 Springfield College (6-1) OR No. 10 Kean University (7-2)
Links: 
(Springfield's Men's Volleyball Home Page)(Roster) (Schedule)(Statistics)
(Kean's Men's Volleyball Home Page)(Roster) (Schedule)(Statistics)
Site: Springfield, MA
Facility: Blake Arena
Date: February 4, 2017
Time: 6 p.m. OR 8 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Brewers split a pair of matches last weekend, defeating No. 14 Rivier University in five sets, coming back from two sets down, before dropping a five-setter to Eastern Mennonite University in the nightcap. Junior Matthew Knigge and freshman Yoni Auerbach were named to the Clash at Kean All-Tournament Team for their honors.
 
A Look At The Brewers (5-4):
 

• The Brewers come into the week holding onto the No. 9 national ranking in the nation, but have struggled to stay consistent this year. VC is 1-2 against nationally-ranked teams, and will have two more chances this weekend.
• Vassar is currently ranked No. 2 in Division III men's volleyball in blocks per set with 2.43, second behind only Wentworth and its 2.75 a game.
• Knigge is ranked No. 5 on the blocks per set listing among individuals, as he has posted 1.15 rejections a game.
• Senior Trey Cimorelli is 18^th in the country in digs per set with 2.82, and leads the UVC in the category. He is also 70 digs shy of 1,000 for his career.
• Junior Zechariah Lee enters the weekend with 123 career service aces, which is second on the all-time list behind the 143 from Evan Frederickson.
• Vassar is currently ranked No. 8 in the UVC in hitting percentage, and is 35^th nationally out of the 75 D-III teams.
• Senior co-captain Christian Lizana leads the Brewers with 2.70 kills per set, while Knigge is second on the team with 2.47 per game.
• Lee is fifth in the UVC in assists per set with 9.03 a game, while his number is 22^nd nationally.
• Vassar played back-to-back five-setters last weekend, marking the first time since February 9, 2007 that the Brewers have played two five-set matches in one day. Amazingly enough, that day also included a five-set loss to Eastern Mennonite.
• Vassar currently has an all-time record of 383-336 in program history, moving in on 400 wins.

 
A Look At The Violets (4-1):
 

• Friday evening's match with NYU will be a non-conference match, though the two foes will battle in Poughkeepsie March 11 in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) action.
• The Violets are currently sixth in the nation in hitting percentage, hitting .326 on the season, which is second in the conference.
• NYU is also in the top 20 in aces per set with 1.75, while ranking 14^th in Division III in blocks a game with 2.08.
• Freshman outside hitter Alex Li has burst onto the scene, ranking third in the nation in kills per game with 4.21. He is also fifth in points per set with 4.96.
• Setter Derrick Chiu is seventh in the UVC in helper per set with 8.60, while Connor Keowen is sixth in the UVC with 2.10 digs a game.
• NYU is holding teams to a .239 hitting percentage against, which is sixth-lowest in the conference.
• The Violet's lone loss of the season came at home against Springfield College, a 3-1 loss to the top-ranked Pride. NYU has also earned a 2-0 mark in five-setters this season.
• Friday night's match-up with VC will be the Violet's first neutral site match of the 2016-17 season. VC is 14-31 all-time against the Violets, winning two of three from NYU a season ago.

 
A Look At The Pride (6-1):
 

• The nine-time National Champions will look to continue its strong start, having fallen only to NAIA power Hope International to start the season.
• Since the opener in California, Springfield has rattled off six straight wins including victories over nationally-ranked Rivier and NYU.
• The Pride have the most efficient offensive attack in the nation, hitting .409 as a team. The next closest team is Wentworth with a .354 percentage.
• Setter Luis Garcia Rubio ranks third in the nation in assists per set with 10.83, as SC is also third as a team in helpers per game with 12.28.
• Luis Vega leads the team and is fourth in the country in hitting percentage with a .488 clip, while teammate Kyle Jasuta is 16^th nationally with a .439 mark.
• Vega is second in the country in kills a game with 4.33, while ranking 10^th in Division III in points a game with 4.78.
• Ricardo Padilla Ayala is first on the team with 0.77 aces a game, while also pounding down 2.09 winners per set.
• Vassar College is 2-40 all-time against one of the best men's volleyball programs collegiately, with VC's last win coming in 2002.

 
A Look At The Cougars (7-2):
 

• Kean University are coming off a weekend in which it knocked off Eastern Mennonite in five games before defeating Nazareth College in four games. KU's lone Division III loss came to Rivier last Friday evening in three sets.
• The Cougars have one of the best defenses in the nation, boasting the fifth-best blocks per set ratio in Division III with 2.30.
• KU also is eighth nationally in opposing hitting percentage, forcing teams into .141 attacking.
• Shayron Taylor is fourth-best in the country in blocks per set, rejecting 1.23 attacks per set.
• The Cougars are led offensively by Jared Warner, as he is hitting .440 on the year, adding 1.96 kills per set.
• Jacob Kauffman is totaling 3.46 kills per game, which is 23^rd nationally and is third in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
• Vassar is 2-0 against Kean University all-time, earning a win over KU last year in three games at the SUNYIT Tournament.

 
Up Next: Vassar will finally return home for its first home matches of the season on February 10-11, hosting the Vassar College Invitational in the Athletics and Fitness Center. VC will take on the College of Mount Saint Vincent and Stevenson University Friday, before battling Ramapo College and Johnson & Wales University Saturday afternoon.