POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 20, 2018) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team returns to action after a 12 day layover, traveling down to New York City Thursday evening to battle the Hawks of Hunter College in non-conference action. The Brewers have won their last four matches, including wins over two ranked opponents.
 
Game Details
Opponent: at Hunter College (1-0)
Site: New York, NY
Facility: Hawk Sportsplex
Date: March 22, 2018
Time: 4 p.m.
Live Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
Last Time Out: The Brewers last played back on March 10, knocking off No. 14 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 3-1 before sweeping Stevenson University in three games. The win over the Engineers moved VC to 4-1 in the United Volleyball Conference, one of three teams in the conference with just one league loss. Senior Matthew Knigge posted 23 kills in the match for Vassar.
 
A Look At The Brewers (13-6, 4-1 UVC):
 

• The Brewers are currently the top blocking team in the nation, posting 2.65 rejections per set, let by Matthew Knigge's 1.462 blocks per game.
• Knigge is still first in the UVC in kills and points per set, ranking second in the nation in kills per game with 4.42.
• Vassar's service game remains at the top of the UVC, as VC posts a league-best 1.79 aces per game while ranking 22^nd nationally.
• Freshman Ryan Duchemin has been a force at the net defensively, ranking 13^th in the nation and sixth in the UVC with 1.00 blocks per game.
• Vassar is holding teams this year to a 0.128 cumulative hitting percentage, best in the UVC and ninth-best in NCAA Division III.
• The Brewers are currently ranked No. 13 in the nation as of the March 13^th poll, falling from No. 12 the previous week despite not playing a match.
• VC has played the fourth-fewest sets of any UVC school this year with 68, as only other high academic institutions NYU (64), MIT (58) and Bard College (57) have played fewer.
• Along with being a strong serving team, VC has allowed just 0.93 service aces a game, second-best in the UVC.
• Along with Knigge, sophomore Kevin Ros is posting 2.23 kills per set, while junior George Diehl is also posting 2.08 finishes a set.
• Senior Zechariah Lee has posted team-highs of 9.97 assists per game, second best in the UVC, while also leading the Brewers in aces per game with 0.523.

 
A Look At The Hawks (13-6):
 

• The Hawks have won their last four matches, knocking off both St. Joseph's College of Long Island and New Jersey City University 3-1.
• Before that, Hunter had defeated York College and CCNY, each in three sets.
• The Hawks rely on their defense, led by standout libero Joseph Muir, who is seventh in the nation in digs per set with 3.38.
• Setter Alex Helford hands out 10.18 assists per game, which leads the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC), ranking sixth nationally.
• Hunter is paced offensively by Blake Hogan and his 2.63 kills per set, while Qendrim Shala is second on the team with 2.23 terminations.
• The Hawks lead the CUNYAC in blocks per set with 1.93 per game, while also pacing the conference in hitting percentage, kills per set and team attacks a game.
• Hunter has been to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, including earning its first-ever Tournament win last year against Penn State-Altoona.

 
Against Hunter All-Time: Vassar is 11-4 against Hunter College all-time, winning the last five matches and 10 of the last 11 meetings. Last season, Vassar knocked off Hunter in three sets thanks to 12 kills from Knigge and 11 from then-senior Quinn Rutledge.