MAHWAH, N.J. – The 10^th-ranked Vassar College men's volleyball team opened its 2019 season with a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon.  After dropping a 24-26, 25-22, 27-29, 25-13, 18-16 decision to Arcadia (4-2), the Brewers (1-1) rebounded with a 25-17, 20-25, 25-19, 25-19 victory over host Ramapo (0-2) at the Bradley Center.
 
In the first set of their matchup with Arcadia, the Brewers raced out to a 13-7 lead.  After the Knights used an 11-2 spurt to go up 18-15, a Jefferson Waters (Hummelstown, PA) kill sparked a 7-2 Vassar rally that gave the Brewers a 22-20 lead.  Vassar reached set point at 24-22, but Arcadia claimed the next two points to level the score at 24-24.  Jake Kaplan (Leesburg, VA) smashed a kill to bring Vassar to set point again, and he followed with a service ace to close out the 26-24 win.
 
After the teams traded points early in the second set, the Brewers used a 4-1 run to open up a 17-15 advantage.  Five of the next six points went to Arcadia, though, allowing the Knights to build a 20-18 cushion.  Arcadia took the frame by a 25-22 count to even the match at one set apiece.
 
There were 18 ties and four lead changes in the third set, as neither side held an advantage of more than two points the entire way.  The Knights used a 5-2 spurt to turn a 17-15 deficit into a 20-19 advantage, but the Brewers responded with a 4-1 run to go in front, 23-21.  Vassar had four set points and Arcadia had one before the Brewers finally wrapped up a 29-27 win on a George Diehl (St. Louis, MO) kill.
 
Trailing two sets to one, Arcadia took control of the fourth set early on, scoring the first four points of the stanza.  The Knights hit .500 (12 kills, two errors, 20 attempts) in the set, forcing a decisive frame with a 25-13 win.
 
Arcadia carried that momentum into the fifth set, building an early 5-1 cushion.  Vassar responded with an 11-3 run, though, to take a 12-8 lead.  A kill by Joe Hendrickson (Feeding Hills, MA) brought the Brewers to match point at 14-12, but the Knights rattled off three straight points to earn a match point of their own.  It would be tied again at 15-15 and 16-16 before Arcadia capped its comeback, 18-16, to claim the match, 3-2.
 
Diehl paced the Brewers with 14 kills, and he also recorded eight digs.  Ryan Duchemin (Maitland, FL), meanwhile, hit a perfect 1.000 in the match, slamming 11 kills on 11 attempts.  He added three service aces and three blocks.  Kevin Ros (Bridgewater, NJ) finished with 38 assists and four aces, while Matt Usui (Rolling Hills Estates, CA) tallied a team-best nine digs.  Vassar hit a combined .128 (48-32-125) and outdug Arcadia 39-37.
 
For the Knights, Austin Braas led the way with 13 kills and six blocks.  Jason Manley pounded 11 kills, while Anthony Devantier finished with 43 assists and six digs.  Quinn Baily contributed eight kills and eight digs, and Zayne George also had eight digs.  As a team, Arcadia hit .259 (49-19-116) in the match.
 
Against Ramapo, Vassar again took control of the first set early on.  The Brewers raced out to a 5-1 lead and eventually extended that advantage to 16-6 on a Hendrickson kill.  Ramapo pulled within five at 22-17, but Vassar captured the next three points to clinch the opening set, 25-17.
 
That momentum carried over into the second set, as Vassar opened up a 5-0 advantage.  After the Roadrunners battled back within one at 7-6, the Brewers used a 5-3 spurt to regain a three-point cushion at 12-9.  However, Ramapo scored five of the next six points to take the lead, 14-13.  Vassar won the next point to even the score, and there would be five more ties before the Roadrunners closed the set on a 6-1 run to earn a 25-20 triumph and level the match.
 
Ramapo built an early 4-2 cushion in the third set before the Brewers responded with a 13-6 rally to pull ahead 15-10.  After the Roadrunners got back within two at 19-17, Vassar rattled off five points in a row to push the margin to 24-17.  On the Brewers' third set point opportunity, Yoni Auerbach (East Brunswick, NJ) smashed a kill to finish off the frame, 25-19.
 
Three straight Duchemin kills midway through the fourth set helped the Brewers turn an 11-10 cushion into a 16-10 advantage.  Ramapo got within two at 18-16, but would pull no closer.  A Waters kill ended it, as Vassar took the fourth set, 25-19, and the contest, 3-1.
 
Kaplan finished with a team-high 14 kills to go along with nine digs.  Auerbach ripped 12 kills on .304 hitting, while Diehl had 11 kills and six digs.  Duchemin recorded nine kills and five blocks, and Usui tallied a match-high 13 digs, as Vassar held a 51-34 edge in that category.  Ros, meanwhile, posted a double-double with 40 assists and 13 digs.  The Brewers hit a combined .263 (54-23-118) in the victory.
 
Eric Van Thuyne notched 15 kills on .324 hitting for Ramapo.  Brendan Russell stuffed four blocks, while Josh Titus distributed 25 assists.  Tyler Plitt hit a team-high 10 digs for the Roadruners, who hit .084 (32-22-119) as a team.
 
Vassar begins its home schedule with a pair of matches next Saturday.  Rutgers-Newark (1-1) visits Kenyon Hall for a 1 p.m. matchup, and the Brewers will also take on Emmanuel (0-0) at 5 p.m.