POUGHKEEPSIE, NY- Coming off a win in their last match, the Vassar College men's volleyball team looked to rally another victory, though No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology (Stevens) Ducks pushed offensively and defeated the Brewers in five sets (16-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 13-15 Wednesday evening inside Kenyon Hall.

With the loss, the Brewers move to a record of 9-7 overall and 2-3 in conference.

After the first two sets, it seemed that the Brewer's were in trouble; falling to Stevens 16-25 and 19-25 with a combined hitting average of just .116. However, a change in their lineup ignited a fire for Vassar offensively allowing them to own the court and change the dynamic of the match.

Set three opened with a close score. Though, the Brewers led for the first time in the match by a significant margin off a Yoni Auerbach (East Brunswick, NJ) kill followed by two Duck attacking errors and two kills at the hands of Jefferson Waters (Hummelstown, PA). Up by six points, the Brewers attack kept swinging. Vassar maintained their lead, not allowing Stevens to gain more than three consecutive points, or come within three points of their lead. With the score 19-15 in the Brewer's favor, Vassar went for four straight points served by Joe Hendrickson (Feeding Hills, MA). Momentum stayed with the Brewers and the set closed on a Waters kill. Vassar improved to .303 at the net.

The pulse of Vassar's offense was vibrant as the fourth set began. The Brewers went on an early 10-7 run to launch the set. A set from Noah Hoppenjans (Edmond, OK) to Auerbach sparked a 7-3 point run for Vassar, and a 16-10 advantage. The Ducks would try to find a rhythm gaining points slowly, yet they couldn't keep the pressure from the Brewers offense. A 4-1 point run triggered off a Ryan Duchemin (Maitland, FL) would close out the set and tie the game.

The fifth and final set was magnetic. Both teams giving their best offensive and defensive efforts to secure the win. Exchanging points, Vassar and Stevens found themselves at a stalemate of 12. A Ducks kill was returned with a Ros kill, bringing the score to 13-all. A Vassar service error, paired with an attacking error was just enough for Stevens to edge out the win.

Waters connected with 18 kills and two service aces while George Diehl (St. Louis, MO) earned 14 kills and Ros 11. Daniel Halberg (Newark, DE) dished out an impressive 27 assists, and Hoppenjans handled 13. Duchemin and Diehl also procured five blocks a piece.

Defensively, Matt Usui (Rolling Hills Estates, CA) hustled for 13 digs. 

The Brewers are back on court in Rochester, N.Y. this Saturday Mar. 9 as they face Nazareth College at 11 a.m. and Mount St.Joseph University at 1 p.m.