POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – In back-and-forth sets, the Vassar men's basketball team fell 2-3 (18-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 11-15) to MIT on Friday evening in Kenyon Hall. MIT moves to 12-3 and 2-0 in the UVC, while the Brewers slip to 10-5 and 3-1 in the conference.

Vassar went up 3-1 in the first set following kills by Gavin van Beveren (Alpharetta, GA) and Kevin Ros (Bridgewater, NJ). MIT used a 4-0 run to take a two-point lead, but Jefferson Waters (Hummelstown, PA) knocked in a kill, and then an Engineers' attack error tied the set 5-5. Six more ties followed until MIT scored four unanswered to take a 15-12 advantage. The Engineers held the lead and then rattled off a 5-0 before Andrew Kim (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) broke the streak with a kill. Vassar pulled within five, but the Engineers closed out with two straight points.

After falling behind 2-5 in the second set, Vassar bounced back. Ryan Duchemin (Maitland, FL) and Waters each tallied a kill to cut the lead to 7-8. A 4-1 span that included a kill from Joseph Harrington (San Diego, CA) and two by van Beveren tied it 11-11. Vassar eventually took their first lead when Ros sent in the termination from a Steven Koja (Temecula, CA) set. The Brewers continued to hold off the Engineers, and Harrington knocked in the set-winner.

The third set remained close. Vassar made it an 18-20 game after Ros sent in a kill, but MIT went 5-2 to take the set point. Vassar then trailed 11-13 in the fourth. Kim and Harrington tacked on kills, and then a block from Kim and van Beveren gave the Brewers a one-point lead. Vassar began to pull away, but MIT fought back to make it 23-22. An MIT service error and a kill by Waters closed it to force the fifth set.

MIT came out on a 5-0 run before a service error gave Vassar a point. The Brewers chipped away at the lead, rattling off four consecutive points that included blocks from Duchemin, Kim, and Ros. The Brewers could never take the lead, and MIT went ahead 13-9. Vassar recorded two more points off errors before MIT's Troy Oliveria hit the game-winning kill.

Waters led Vassar with 15 kills on 33 total attacks (.303 percent), while Kim had 12 kills and five block assists. Ros and van Beveren picked up ten kills each. Matt Usui (Rolling Hills Estate, CA) led the team with a season-high 15 digs, while Koja had a team-high 37 assists. Jordan Klembczyk (Penfield, NY) dished out a career-best seven assists.

For MIT, Oliveria tallied a match-high 19 kills on 38 attacks (.368 percent). Nicholas Gustafson added 14 kills on 21 attacks (.571 percent). Thomas Nelson had ten digs, while Nathan Wang made 43 assists.

Vassar returns to action on Sat. Feb. 29 to play Hunter and Nazareth at Kenyon. The Brewers first face Nazareth at noon and then Hunter at 4 p.m.