POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 4, 2018) – The Vassar College Men's Volleyball Team make their way to Hunter College for the UVC Tournament after three consecutive straight set wins. The Brewers are looking to compete in the UVC Championship final after a semifinal finish in 2016.

Game Details
Opponent: #3 New Paltz/#6 Nazareth
Site: New York, NY
Facility: Hunter Sportsplex
Date: April 14, 2018
Time: 5 p.m.
Live Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)

Last Time Out: The No.10 Vassar men's volleyball team finished their regular season schedule with three victories last weekend over Messiah, Baruch, and Eastern Mennonite. On Senior Day, Senior Zechariah Lee picked up his 200^th career service ace, marking the record books. Fellow Senior Matt Knigge picked up 24 kills and 8 blocks Saturday. With the victories, the Brewers improved their win streak to 12 games.

A Look At The Brewers (21-6, 8-1 UVC): 

• While the Brewers have beaten both teams this season, the squad expects a hard-fought battle.
• The Brewers have not seen Nazareth since a 3-1 victory on February 11^th. Just two weeks ago, VC outlasted New Paltz in a five-set nail-biter.
• The team is seeking their first UVC finals appearance, falling in the semis in 2017, 2016 and 2013.
• VC comes into the conference tournament ranked 2^nd, earning them a UVC tournament first-round bye.
• The blocking unit leads the UVC in both total blocks (246) and blocks/set (2.54).
• Senior Matthew Knigge leads the conference in kills per set with 4.36 and ranks second in blocks per set with 1.47. He is joined by freshman Ryan Duchemin on the blocking top 10 list, who has .94/set, and 84 total blocks.
• Vassar also leads the conference in service aces, with 1.72/set, and 167 total aces largely due to consistent performances from Jefferson Waters and Zechariah Lee who both rank in the league's top 10.

 
A Look at the Tournament:
 
A Look At The Ducks (23-4, 8-1 UVC): 

• Stevens ranks No. 1 in UVC. The Ducks are offensively dominant in the league, ranking 1^st in hitting percentage (.323) and average kills per set (12.93/set). Thomas Burrell leads the team and league in hitting percentage with .514.
• Jacob Patterson leads the league in assists with an average 10.62 assists per set and a total of 701.
• Defensively, Stevens is second in the league in blocks as a team averaging 2.43 blocks per set. Thomas Burrell leads the league individually in blocks, averaging 1.47 blocks per set and totaling 119 stuffs on the season.
• Gabe Shankweiler and Niko Lambert remain defensively strong for the Ducks. Gabe Shankweiler averaging 1.47 digs per set with a total 110 digs. Nick Lambert following close behind him averaging 1.35 digs per set, with 100 total digs. 

A Look At The Hawks (18-7, 7-2 UVC)

• Offensively, the Hawks sit second in the league for hitting percentage with an average .264 percentage. Nick Smith leads the Hawks in kills and is currently ranked 9^th in the UVC for hitting percentage, with an .330 average.
• Defensively, Robert Nolan leads the team with 178 digs on the season, averaging 2.07 digs per set. Anthony Bonilla follows behind him averaging 1.45 digs per set.
• Matthew Grace is 5^th in the league in average assists per set with 9.54. As a team, New Paltz tops the league in assists per set with an average 12.20.
• From the service line, New Paltz averages 1.65 aces per set, second in the league behind Vassar College.

A Look at the Soaring Eagles (20-11, 5-4 UVC):

• Elmira ranks 4^th in the league for hitting percentage with .260. Matthew Buffum leads the team with 304 total kills and a .416 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, Elmira remains tough at net as Matthew Buffum totaled 132 blocks on the season, averaging 1.04 blocks per set.
• The Soaring Eagles have found success extending point with four of the Eagles earning over 150 digs this season.
• Ryan McDonough ranks 9^th in the league in service aces, averaging .38 aces per set.                         

A Look At The Violets (15-8, 5-4 UVC): 

• From the service line, NYU remains a threat with three players in the top 10 in the league for average aces per set and ranking third in the league with a team average of 1.59 aces per set. Sophomore Evan Lindley leads in the league in service ace average with .58 per set, totaling 49 aces this season alone.
• Neil Ferraro is third in the league and leads the Violets in hitting percentage with .432, totaling 228 kills on the season.  
• Matin Bikdeli leads the team in assists per set with 8.94, totaling 697 on the season. He ranks 7^th in the UVC conference.
• Defensively, Connor Keowen ranks 5^th in the UVC with an average 2.23 digs per set. Following behind him is Evan Lindley who averages 1.30 digs per set and accumulated 109 digs this season. 

A Look at the Golden Flyers (17-12, 4-5 UVC): 

• As a team, Nazareth ranks fourth in the league in average kills per set with 11.90. Two of Nazareth's hitters are hitting particularly well; Sean Dillon ranks 6^th (.375)  and Joe Crosby ranks 8^th  (.348) in the hitting percentage in the league.  
• Jake Kemp continues to effectively distribute the ball for the Flyers, ranking 4^th in the league with 9.66 assists per set.
• Luis Vazquez has earned 166 digs this season, becoming the backbone of the Flyer defense and averaging 2.16 digs per set.
• Up at net, as a team Nazareth averages 2.15 blocks per set. Sean Dillon leads the team with 72 total blocks this season, averaging .83 blocks per set.

Up Next: Should the Brewers win, they will make their first-ever UVC finals appearance, taking on Elmira, NYU, or Stevens on Sunday April 15^th at 2 p.m.