POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 25, 2018) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team, following its exciting 3-1 victory in Kenyon Hall over No. 4 Kean University, will head to Kenosha, Wisconsin this weekend for the Division III Men's Volleyball Championships, hosted by Carthage College in Tarble Arena. The Brewers will take on No. 1 Springfield College at 4 p.m. local time, while No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology and No. 7 Dominican College (IL) will compete on the other side of the bracket.
 
Game Details
NCAA Championships – Tournament Website
Opponent: vs. No. 1 Springfield College (29-2)
Site: Kenosha, WI
Facility: Tarble Arena
Date: April 27, 2018
Time: 5 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Central
Live Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
Tickets:
$10 General Admission
$5 Senior Citizens, Students With ID, Children 12 & Under
$2 Clubs and Youth Teams of 8 or more
Kids 5 and under are Free
 
Last Time Out: The Vassar men's volleyball team pushed past No. 4 Kean last Saturday evening in Kenyon Hall, getting 21 kills from Matthew Knigge while adding 14.5 blocks to earn the victory. With the win, the Brewers advanced to their first NCAA Championships semifinals, while making the collegiate volleyball semifinals for the third time. Before the NCAA Tournament, nationals were hosted by the EIVA and Molton.
 
A Look At The No. 5 Brewers (23-7)

• The Brewers come into the weekend playing very well, having won 14 of their last 15 matches dating back to March 3.
• Vassar is currently ranked as the top blocking team in the nation per set, rejecting 2.52 attempts per set. This is thanks to a team effort, as six different players are in the top 200 individually led by Matthew Knigge and his 1.33 blocks a game, second-best in NCAA Division III.
• Senior setter Zechariah Lee, recently named as an AVCA Second Team All-American for the second time in his career, is fifth nationally in assists per set with 10.14.
• Lee needs just 12 assists this weekend to become the second ever setter at Vassar with 4000 assists in his career.
• Vassar is holding opposition to .140 hitting this season, which is best among UVC schools and sixth-best in Division III volleyball.
• First Team All-American Matt Knigge is second in the country in kills per set with 4.33, while also ranking second in points per set with 5.45.
• As a squad the Brewers are hitting .258, which is 16^th best in the country.
• VC led the United Volleyball Conference in aces per set this year with 1.68.
• Vassar has been very strong this year in the third set, winning 21 of the 30 sets this season. In addition, VC has picked up 12 of the 15 fourth sets as well.
• The Brewers are passing well lately defensively, chalking up just one service reception error per set, while chalking up a .930 reception percentage. Opposition is passing at a .898 clip.
• Vassar is 10-2 on neutral courts this season.
• In addition to Knigge, sophomore Kevin Ros has hammered down 2.32 kills a game while junior George Diehl has 2.25 terminations a game.
• Freshman Jefferson Waters has stepped up lately, as he is second in aces per set with 0.40, while adding 113 kills on the season from the right side.
• Vassar's last trip to the national semifinals was in 2008, earning a spot in the Molton Championships where it lost to Springfield College after defeating UC-Santa Cruz 3-0 in the semifinals. 
• VC has played at Carthage College twice, falling to the host Red Men before knocking off Endicott back in 2013. 

A Look At The No. 1 Pride (29-2):

• Springfield College, a perennial power in the NCAA Volleyball world, has earned 10 national titles in program history.
• Head coach Charlie Sullivan picked up his third AVCA National Coach of the Year award Wednesday.
• Since the NCAA began its sponsorship of the Division III Men's Volleyball National Championship in 2012, Charlie Sullivan and company have produced a 185-11 record against Division III opponents. 
• The Springfield College men's volleyball team set a new record for most consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 in the American Volleyball Coaches Assocation (AVCA) Division III National Poll.  To date, Springfield has been No.1 for the last 29-consecutive polls, besting the previous mark of 23 that was once held by Juniata from 2004-2006.  
• The Springfield College men's volleyball team had three student-athletes earn American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Men's Division III All-America recognition.  Sergio Figueroa Velez was chosen to the first team, while Kyle Jasuta and Joseth Irizarry Feliciano received second-team honors. 
• Springfield ranks No. 3 nationally in aces per set with 2.44, while ranking sixth in kills per set with 12.55.
• Springfield attacks at a national-best .375 rate, holding teams to a .145 attacking clip.
• Velez leads the team in hitting percentage (.320), kills per set (2.87) and points per set (3.89), as the balanced Pride offense has seven players with 100 or more kills this season.
• Vassar is 2-48 against the Pride all-time, having met twice this season both in Springfield and Poughkeepsie. Springfield won both matches in three games. 

Against The Other Side: Vassar is 4-12 against UVC foe Stevens Institute of Technology, falling twice to the Ducks this year. VC has played Dominican once, falling in three games back in 2014.