POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 9, 2017) – The 2016 season for the Vassar College men's volleyball team was one to remember for so many reasons, but mainly because it signaled to the rest of Division III volleyball that the Brewers had returned to prominence nationally. The season, which ended in the semifinals of the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament, finished with 24 wins overall. The win total was the second-most ever at Vassar, eclipsed only by the 2008 season where the Brewers accumulated 26 victories.
 
A lot has happened since the end of the 2016 campaign, with the biggest change coming at the coaching position, as Rob Wolter resigned to take the head coaching position at Aurora University. First-year head coach of the Brewers Richard Gary has come on board, and will take helm of a program that has a ton of expectations in 2017 as VC was picked No. 8 in the AVCA Preseason Top 15 Poll.
 
"For us, this team really wants to win every game we go out to play," said Gary. "It's more about seeing if we can get better and see if we can get ready for the UVC. With us, there shouldn't be a missed opportunity with any match to get a little bit better."
 
The Brewers return most of the nucleus of a team that was very successful last season, but VC did graduate one of its top scorers in three-year captain Reno Kriz. Kriz finished third all-time in total kills during his tenure with the Brewers, posting 1,352 kills while in the burgundy and gray. The production and leadership will be difficult to replace with just once person, but look for a team effort in that category.
 
"Reno took 40 percent of our swings last year, he was our go-to in many situations," said Gary. "I think it'll be us trying to manage those situations, but I think we have a collective group that we can go to in those spots."
 
Despite the absence of Kriz, the Brewers bring back six of their starters from last year, including 2017 Preseason All-American Matthew Knigge in the middle. Vassar was the top team in the conference last year in opposing hitting percentage, thanks to the strong blocking by Knigge and the great ball control group in the back row. VC held teams to .157 hitting against, by far the lowest clip in the UVC.
 
Look for that to continue this season, as three of the top options in serve receive and passing return in senior captain Trey Cimorelli, along with fellow seniors Christian Lizana and Quinn Rutledge. All three have been big time contributors all four seasons, and they will look to continue that trend this season.
 
With the amount of success last year, expectations and goals will be elevated, but the early season tests that Vassar will have will certainly prepare VC for the long and difficult conference slate. The UVC, that boasts seven ranked teams in the Top 15, is the best Division III men's volleyball conference and even qualifying for the postseason tournament can be a challenge.
 
"We're going to start by jumping into the fire, I think we have a tough schedule all year," said Gary. "The reality is that if we want to make a deep run we have to compete at the UVC Tournament, and qualifying for the Tournament is difficult. Anybody on any given day can win this conference."
 
If all goes right though for Vassar, the Brewers could be making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since earning a spot in the Molton Division III Championships back in 2008.
 
OFFENSE
Vassar out-killed its opponents 1400-1112 in 2016, and will look for more success under first-year head coach Richard Gary. Vassar posted a .272 hitting percentage last season, thanks to great hitting of Knigge and others. Knigge finished the season second in the nation in offensive efficiency, hitting .502 for the year after pounding down 302 kills on 494 attempts. He was honored as a First Team All-American as a sophomore, and will try to repeat that honor as a junior in the middle.
 
"There is actually some opportunities for him to get more involved believe it or not, and I think he's fired up about that," said Gary. "He's someone that players fixate on, so that gives us chances in other spots, but he also makes us so much better every time he's on the floor."
 
Now sophomore George Diehl has been looking strong in the opening part of preseason, and that's a great sign for Vassar after his successful campaign as a freshman in 2016. Diehl was second on the team in hitting with a .374 percentage, while playing mostly middle hitter. Diehl will continue to get some middle reps, but will also slide out to opposite on occasion to allow the sophomore to get more opportunities to score after only getting the fourth-most attempts on the team last year. He did finish with 175 kills in 2016, the third-highest total on the squad.
 
The outside hitter position should be competitive for chances once again in 2017, as Rutledge, Lizana and junior Brian Manley are all in the mix for swings. Lizana got the most attempts in 2016 of the trio, registering 146 terminations on 367 attempts, while Manley was the most efficient with his attempts, hitting .196 on 265 swings, chalking up 113 kills. Rutledge was huge for VC in some big spots last season, including against NYU in the UVC playoffs. The now senior posted 129 kills, and added a pair of matches with double-digit finishes.
 
Along with Kriz, the Brewers did also graduate another very versatile player in Erik Halberg, who played right side, middle and outside during his time for Vassar. VC will look to make up his contributions this season with a pair of front row players in Zach Bygall and Yoni Auerbach. Bygall has slotted in during the fall workouts as a middle blocker, and should compete for minutes there during the season as well.
 
Auerbach is left-handed, and has been swinging well during the preseason. If her can contribute immediately, it will give the Brewers the option of playing Diehl inside with Knigge. Freshman walk-on Ghali Khalil is also a big body who will look to work into the rotation at some point this season.
 
The offense will be led by junior setter Zechariah Lee, who earned All-UVC honors last year as a sophomore. Lee finished just two assists short of 1000 as a sophomore, and also chalked up a team-best 50 service aces. The junior is one of the most athletic setters in the conference thanks to his 6-4 frame, which also allows him to be effective at the net defensively.
 
Backing up Lee will be sophomore Daniel Halberg, who was named once as a newcomer in 2016 as the UVC Rookie of the Week. Halberg moves well on the court, and though he's not as tall as Lee, can still get sets to anywhere on the floor. A capable reserve, Halberg finished with 101 assists on the season and also added six kills on 10 attempts. Look for Halberg to get early chances to lighten the load for Lee throughout the season.
 
DEFENSE
The defensive side of the net for the Brewers was dynamic last season, and look for that to continue in 2017. The blocking scheme for Vassar will be emphasized, as the Brewer will look to get three men up at the net for every opposing attempt. That kind of freedom to go all-out for the block comes with having confidence in your back row players to read and react.
 
It also helps when you return one of the best blocking middles in the nation, as Knigge posted 140 total rejections last year which led the United Volleyball Conference by 31 blocks. His final block total was a school record, and his 1.25 blocks per set were third in NCAA Division III. He got some help at the net from Diehl and Lee, who each ranked in the top 100 in the nation for blocks.
 
The outside hitter group will also look to be more defensive at the net, but the strength of the unit as a whole is their ability to pass and keep plays alive. VC posted a .927 serve receive percentage last season, while Rutledge and Lizana added 247 combined digs. The outsides are experienced, move well, and will be a huge help to Cimorelli in the back row.
 
The libero spot for the fourth consecutive season should be manned by Cimorelli, who earned UVC Libero of the Year last season and was also up for National Libero of the Year in 2016. Cimorelli is a great leader and floor general when out there, as he posted 263 digs and 2.37 ups a set. He will become only the second player in history with 1,000 digs in his career at some point this season, as he has 834 coming into the campaign.
 
Another freshman, Kevin Ros, has been a strong addition to the Brewers as the 5-10 defensive specialist should earn some time in serve receive and as a back row defender. Ros also has some experience swinging from the back row, and could be an outside hitter option for Vassar due to his athleticism.
 
"I thought they were one of the best ball control units in the nation last year, so I'm excited to be able to work with them," said Gary. "It's obvious from the first practice that they focus really well, they're an intense group that pushes each other to get better."
 
COACHING STAFF
The Brewers will look to Richard Gary in his first year to take them to the next level, as Gary comes to Vassar after five successful seasons as the head men's and women's coach at Wells College. Gary, along with assistant Eric Rothbard, is very motivated and has meshed well with the returning group.
 
"New coach, new mentality, it's just been an adjustment period for us," said Cimorelli. "Great guy, great coach, knows a lot about the game, and he's doing a great job of keeping the guys together and working with us. We're trying new things and we're really, really excited about it."