POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 11, 2017) — Juniors Zechariah Lee and Matt Knigge etched their names in the record books, as the No. 6 Vassar College men's volleyball team (18-6, 5-0 UVC) took down Nazareth College (16-9, 2-2 UVC), 25-19, 27-25, 19-25, 25-18, and No. 8 New York University (11-7, 5-1 UVC), 21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-11, at Kenyon Hall on Saturday.
 
With two aces in the day's first set, Lee became the all-time service ace leader in program history with 144. Later in the match, Knigge notched a solo block to put his name at the top of the all-time leader list with 354 career blocks.
 
"It's good to come out and break some school records," Knigge said. "It means the program is moving in a better direction. There's definitely still work to be done. We still have probably about a third of our season left and a whole year after that, so let's just keep looking to the future."
 
Christian Lizana also accomplished an incredible feat, posting his 500^th career kill early in the day.
 
"I've been blessed to inherit such a great group of guys," first-year head coach Richard Gary said. "They're tough competitors; they train hard every day. They're getting better every day in every aspect of the game, and they just make themselves and their teammates around them better."
 
In VC's four-set win over Nazareth, Knigge logged team-bests in kills (13) and blocks (6), while Lee registered team-highs in assists (46) and aces (2), adding eight digs and four blocks as well. Trey Cimorelli paced the squad with 18 digs.
 
The Brewers handily took the first set, 25-19, before battling for a 27-25 victory in the second. Nazareth used that momentum to take the third set, 25-19, before Vassar sealed the deal with a 25-18 win in the fourth. In the decisive set, the Brewers jumped out to a 6-1 advantage before sustaining their lead the rest of the way.
 
Sam Bittker led the Golden Flyers with 14 kills, Jake Kemp paced the team with 37 assists, Tom Keisling added a team-best 13 digs, and Ethan Ross posted a team-high six blocks.
 
In VC's four-set win over No. 8 NYU, Knigge led the Brewers in kills (15) and blocks (9), while Lizana added 11 kills and a team-best 10 digs. Lee continued to be the primary facilitator, dishing out 37 assists to lead the squad.
 
The Violets took the first set, 25-21, before the Brewers buckled down to win the final three, seemingly getting strong as the night went on, 25-23, 25-20, 25-11.
 
Alex Li led the Violets with 11 kills and three blocks, while Derrick Chiu paced the pack with 37 assists and 11 digs.
 
"So pleased with our fight and effort all day today," Gary said. "It's a great way to head into spring break, with the guys showing more and more focus every set.  That fourth was some of our best and most fun volleyball of the season, and really showed what we're capable of when we serve and block tough and our offense finds its groove."
 
The Brewers hit the road for the next six matches, beginning with Marymont University in Arlington, VA on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m.