POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 4, 2017) – The Vassar Women's Volleyball Team heads to Ithaca College for the Liberty League Championships. The Brewers are joined by #1 Ithaca College, #2 Clarkson College, and #4 Skidmore College, all seeking a bid to NCAA's next week.
 
Game Details
Match 1: No. 3 Vassar College (22-6, 5-2 LL) vs. No. 2 Clarkson University (19-7, 6-1 LL)
Links: (Clarkson Home Page) (Schedule) (Roster) (Statistics)
Date: November 3, 2017
Time: 5 p.m.
Site: Ithaca, NY
Facility: Ben Light Gymnasium
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)
 
Match 2: No. 4 Skidmore College (18-10, 4-3 LL) vs. No. 1 Ithaca College (20-7, 6-1 LL)
Links: (Ithaca Home Page) (Schedule) (Roster) (Statistics)
Links: (Skidmore Home Page) (Schedule) (Roster) (Statistics)
Date: November 3, 2017
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Ithaca, NY
Facility: Ben Lights Gymnasium
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)
 
Match Two: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2
Date: November 4, 2017
Time: 4 p.m.
Site: Ithaca, NY
Facility: Ben Lights Gymnasium
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)
 
Last Time Out: The Brewers picked up two victories on Senior Day this past weekend, both in straight sets. The squad hit .374 and .366 on the day, regaining momentum heading into this weekend. As a team, VC posts 75 kills, 20 aces, 7 blocks, and 75 digs.
 
A Look at The Brewers (22-6, 5-2 LL): 

• Dropping to both Clarkson and Saint Lawrence two weeks ago, the Brewers get a second shot at the Golden Knights on Friday. These two teams will be facing off for their 5^th time in two years, both seeking a spot in the Liberty League Championship match.
• In the October contest, the Brewers combined for a season-worst hitting percentage (.046), which they look to build upon this time out.
• Offensive gun Devan Gallagher remains atop the league in kills/set (4.68), taking nearly two times more swings than other opponents around the league.
• She helps the Brewers to a league-best .277 hitting percentage, Cambey and Kerbs both hitting well over .200 as well.
• Bria Corham looks to continue to shine, hitting .500 Saturday, with 16 kills, just one error on 30 swings.
• The Brewers will rely on steady command of serving and passing this weekend. As a team, the Brewers average 2.62 aces/set on 257 total aces, lead by MacMillan (.62/60 total).
• Defensively, VC continues to be balanced, with 5 Brewers posting at least 2 digs/set, led by Zucchero and Gallagher with 3.69 and 3.35 respectively.
• Last season, the Brewers fell to Clarkson in the Liberty League Championship.

 
A Look at the Golden Knights (19-7, 6-1 LL) 

• Picking up three victories last weekend, Clarkson improves to 19-7, now posting a 9-game win-streak.
• The squad's last loss was to Ithaca College on October 7^th. 
• Rachel Aird had a stellar weekend, named Liberty League Performer of the Week, posting 38 kills (.458) and 5 blocks, while also earning a spot on the New York Regional Challenge All-Tournament Team.
• Kate Isaksen continues to lead the conference in digs/set, averaging 6.78 while posting 631 total digs.
• As a team, the Golden Knights average three digs/set more than their Liberty League rivals, with 19.56.
• Her command of the back row has kept opponents at 1.27 aces/set, a league-best.
• Offensive powerhouse Rachel Reusch hit .312 in the regular season, posting 242 kills, ranked 2^nd overall in the Liberty League. 
• Clarkson has captured the Liberty League title each of the last 5 seasons, last beaten in 2011 by Skidmore.

 
 
A Look at the Thoroughbreds (18-10, 4-3 LL)

• Two weeks ago (10/20) Skidmore dropped to Ithaca in straight sets.
• The Thoroughbreds performed well under their season averages in the contest, hoping to maximize their second opportunity this weekend.
• Katie Ehnstrom has been excellent all season, most recently earning a place on Liberty League's Honor Roll. In four matches last weekend, she posted double-digit kills in all contests, also adding 11 blocks. Ehnstrom holds the highest hitting percentage in the Liberty League this season (.337).
• 2017 will be Skidmore's first Liberty League tournament appearance since their 2012 campaign, in which they fell to Clarkson 3-1, still earning an NCAA tournament at-large bid. In 2011, Skidmore won the championship.

 
A Look at the Bombers (20-7, 6-1 LL)

• Last weekend, Ithaca posted a huge 3-1 victory over No. 6 ranked Carnegie Mellon. The Bombers also picked up a straight-set victory over Eastern, but fell to Stevens 3-1.
• Reagan Stone can hardly be tamed to date in the Liberty League, hitting .468 (3.7 kills/set) in league competitions this year. Katie Evans joins her with an impressive .361 percentage in league competition.
• Ithaca has stacked their schedule this season, competing with 6 nationally ranked teams.
• This will be Ithaca's first Liberty League tournament appearance, though they have made it to NCAA's in 2015 and 2016.

 
Against Opponents All-TIme:  Against Clarkson, Vassar is 13-17 all-time. The two teams battled three times in 2016, the Brewers taking the first two contests before falling in the Liberty League Finals to the Golden Knights. In October, the Golden Knights outpaced the Brewers 3-1. Facing Skidmore, the Brewers are 38-20, picking up a 5-set victory in October. Vassar is 2-7 against Ithaca all-time, picking up a 4-set victory early this season.
 
Up Next: The winner of Friday's contest will earn a place in the Liberty League Championship match Saturday at 4 p.m, taking on the winner of the other semi-final match, Ithaca or Skidmore.