LA JOLLA, CA – The Vassar men's volleyball team opened the 2020 season on Wednesday evening, falling in three sets to Division I UC San Diego at the Rimac Arena. Vassar (0-1) fought hard each set but ultimately fell 21-25, 17-25, and 18-25.

The first set remained within one point before the Tritons went up 13-10. Vassar then used a Tritons' service error and two miscues to retie the set 13-13. UC San Diego would go up again, but a kill from freshman Andrew Kim (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) evened it 15-15. A 5-0 run put the Tritons up 20-15, but the Brewers chipped back in again behind a kill from Kevin Ros (Bridgewater, NJ) and a service ace and kill from Ryan Duchemin (Maitland, FL). Kim and Ben Brody (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) tallied kills to cut the lead to 21-20. UC San Diego controlled the pace soon after, going 4-1 to close the set.

UC San Diego flexed their muscle in the second set, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. The Brewers struggled to keep the score close but were able to pull within six after a Gavin van Beveren (Alpharetta, GA) kill to make it 17-11. A 4-0 Tritons' run followed before Ros broke the streak with a kill. Vassar used a 3-0 spurt, which included a service ace by van Beveren, to cut the lead to 22-16, but UC San Diego rolled out the set for the 25-17 win.

Vassar had a competitive third set, going up 6-3 after a kill from first-year Joseph Harrington (San Diego, CA). The Brewers were able to maintain the lead until the Tritons tied it up 10-10. UC San Diego knocked in the kill the next rally, and they held the lead for the remainder of the set. Vassar fought hard until the end, trading points with the Tritons, but UC San Diego was able to secure the 25-18 victory.   

In his first collegiate match, van Beveren led the Brewers with nine kills on .375 hitting. Ros had eight, while Kim knocked in six kills with two blocks and five digs. Duchemin and Harrington recorded five kills each. Freshman Steven Koja (Temecula, CA) dished out a game-high 25 assists. As a team, Vassar held an advantage in kills (35-30) and assists (32-27)

For UC San Diego, Wyatt Harrison led the game with 13 kills and a .391 hitting percentage. Connor Walbrecht led the Tritons with 23 assists, while Logan Clark and Shane Benetz each tallied four blocks.

Vassar continues its west coast trip with three more games at the California Lutheran University Tournament. The Brewers face the Kingsmen first on Fri. Jan 17 at 10:00 p.m. (EST).