CAMBRIDGE, MA (March 10, 2018) -- Senior middle hitter Matthew Knigge, who is the NCAA active career leader in blocks in all Divisions, tied the single-match blocks record Saturday as he helped the No. 12 Vassar College men's volleyball team to a sweep of host No. 14 Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stevenson University. Vassar knocked off MIT in four games 23-25, 25-23, 25-18 and 25-19 before dispatching of Stevenson 25-18, 25-11 and 25-23. 

No. 12 Vassar 3, No. 14 MIT 1
Knigge tied a single-match program record 12 blocks in the four-set victory of MIT Saturday, adding 23 kills while hitting .571 on 35 attempts to help the Brewers to the big United Volleyball Conference (UVC) win. The VC senior was responsible for 30.0 of Vassar's 74.5 points on the day, as he also chalked up an ace and four digs as well. 

VC (13-6, 4-1 UVC) had to rally from behind after dropping the opening set to the host Engineers, as MIT posted the final three points of the set to earn the early lead. The second game saw MIT take a lead during the early going, and led by as much as four at 16-12 after a kill by Yize Dong. VC made its move at 18-16, as the Brewers posted a 5-0 run to take a 21-18 lead, capped by a Knigge kill. 

MIT (12-3, 2-3 UVC) pushed back to tie the match at 23 on a Vassar ball handling error, but VC earned a point on an MIT ace, and then clinched the second set with a kill from freshman Ryan Duchemin. The Brewers hit only .069 in the second set, but MIT's service errors helped VC deadlock the match at one set apiece. 

The Vassar offensive unit came to life in the third set, as the Brewers hit a match-best .406 in the third game while totaling 19 kills to take a 2-1 match advantage. VC kept the momentum for the third set going in the fourth, taking four of the first five points, and led until 12-12 when MIT earned its first lead of the fourth set. 

The Brewers quickly regained their lead on an ace by Ben Brody and a solo block from Zechariah Lee, which powered a subsequent 7-1 run to help Vassar pull away. During the stretch, Knigge totaled four assisted blocks, while the Brewers posted seven rejections in the set. VC would put the match away at 24-19, as sophomore Kevin Ros hammered down a kill to seal the win. 

Knigge's block total equaled the record of 12.0 blocks in a match by Lucas Rathjens in 2012 against New Jersey City University, while VC's team total of 16.5 rejections was a season-best as well. Along with Knigge, Ros added 10 kills and five digs for the Brewers, while junior George Diehl posted nine terminations, three assisted blocks and a team-high 14 digs. 

Freshman Jefferson Waters led the squad with two service aces in addition to his five kills and seven assisted blocks, and senior setter Zechariah Lee finished with 43 assists, eight digs and two total rejections. Freshman libero Garth Verdeflor also posted seven digs for the Brewers, who hit .270 (53-23-111) for the match while winning the dig battle, 43-27. 

No. 12 Vassar 3, Stevenson 0
The Brewers upped their win streak to four with a win over Stevenson in the second match of the day, as the Mustangs were stifled by Vassar's defense as the Brewers held their opponent to -.027 hitting for the match. VC allowed just 17 kills all match, while finishing with 41 kills of its own, hitting .333 for the contest. 

Knigge was once again the start for the Brewers, as he posted 15 kills and hit .591, chalking up nine total blocks including two solo rejections. Lee was also strong for Vassar in the three-set win, dishing out 34 assists to go with a team-high 10 digs and four kills as well. Diehl also posted nine successful attacks, and Duchemin finished four of his six offensive attempts. Ros posted six kills, nine digs and four assisted blocks as well for the Brewers, who finished with 12 blocks and led the dig column, 30-24. 

-- 

Vassar is off from competition for 12 days before traveling to New York City for a make-up of February 7's postponement with Hunter College, taking on the Hawks Thursday, March 22 at 4 p.m. in non-conference action.