POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Vassar men's volleyball team went 2-0 in their home opening tri-match, defeating Ramapo (25-19, 25-20, 25-16) and then downing No. 4 Endicott (25-20, 25-13, 25-21) on Saturday afternoon at Kenyon Hall. With the wins, Vassar moves to 4-2 and has won four straight.

Senior Kevin Ros (Bridgewater, NJ) led the day with 21 kills, while freshman Gavin van Beveren (Alpharetta, GA) and junior Ryan Duchemin (Maitland, FL) added 20 and 16 kills, respectively. Freshman Andrew Kim (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) and Duchemin each had three service aces.

The Brewers opened the competition with a swift four-point lead before Roadrunners got on the board. Vassar maintained dominance the entire set leading by as much as six. Vassar took the first set, 25-19.

In the second set, Vassar jumped out to a 6-3 lead, but the Roadrunners regained some composure, taking a 10-7 lead. Kills from Kim and van Beveren pulled the Brewers within two and then a 3-0 run tied the set 14-14. After a Vassar error, Ramapo retook the lead, but for the last time. Vassar scored the next six with a kill and two aces from Ros, as well as a Duchemin kill. Ramapo fought back to cut the game to 21-18, but Vassar responded to go up 24-18. The Roadrunners tacked on two more points before Vassar closed out the set.  

Vassar kept the pressure up in the third set, going up 9-5 following an ace by Jake Kaplan (Leesburg, VA). The teams traded points before Vassar closed the game on a 4-0 with Ros knocking in the final two kills.

Ros led the match with nine kills, while Duchemin and van Beveren had eight each. Van Beveren also recorded an 88.9 hitting percentage. Steven Koja (Temecula, CA) led the team with 21 assists.

Against the Gulls, Vassar played nearly to perfection. The Brewers held a 49-24 kill advantage and hit 48.1 percent. Three players in Kim, van Beveren, and Ros recorded 12 kills, and all hit over 50 percent.

The Brewers hit aggressively in the first set, making five kills to take a 6-3 lead. Endicott pulled within one, but Vassar used three Gulls' errors to take an 11-7 advantage. Koja and Ros knocked in a pair of kills to take an eight-point lead, but Endicott scored four straight to force a Vassar timeout. A kill by van Beveren made it 24-19, and then Adam Gulick (Williamsville, NY) banged in the set point.

Vassar hit an impressive 78.9 percent in the second set, totaling 16 kills with only one error. The Gulls pulled within four, but three Gulls' miscues gave Vassar a 17-10 lead. With the score 19-13, Vassar went on a 6-0 run that was capped off with a service ace by Kim.

Endicott looked to avoid the sweep but was never able to take the lead. The Gulls scored three straight near the end of the set, but ultimately it was Vassar closing out for the win.

Duchemin added eight kills, while Kim led the team with eight digs. Van Beveren also added five blocks and an ace. Koja picked up 40 assists.

Vassar is back on the road next, traveling to the Arcadia Tri-Match on Sat. Feb. 1. The Brewers first play Juniata a 3 p.m. and then Arcadia at 5 p.m.