POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The fight between the nation's top two teams did not disappoint. No. 2 Vassar took No. 1 Springfield to five sets but ultimately fell 2-3 to the visiting Pride. In the second match of the day, the Brewers defeated Illinois Tech 3-0 to move to 11-2 on the season.
The first set went 26-24 in Vassar's favor and showed that this would be a closely fought day. Neither side led by more than three points, and with the set tied 12-12, Vassar used a 3-0 run with kills by Gavin van Beveren and (Alpharetta, GA) and Andrew Kim (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) to take the lead. Springfield came back to tie 16-16. A quick two kills from sophomore Colin Jones (San Diego, CA) and first-year Payne Lounsbery (Long Beach, CA) made it 20-18, but the Pride tied again.
Vassar could never really pull away, and Springfield's Liam York sent in a kill to cut the Vassar lead to 24-23. A Pride block from Jarrett Anderson and Nate Reynolds put the score at 24-24. Andrew Kim scored the next kill, and then Lounsbery gave the Brewers a set-point.
The Brewers had a more commanding performance in the second set, winning 25-19. Vassar used a 5-0 run comprised of two Kim kills to take a seven-point lead. Springfield tallied kills by Anderson and Reynolds to make it 23-19, but Lounsbery answered with a kill. The set was sealed on a van Beveren service ace to put the Brewers up 2-0.
Springfield took the following two sets, 19-25 and 22-25. Vassar kept close in the third, but the Pride went on a 3-0 span to take a 17-13 lead. Vassar cut the lead to two after Jones and Kim knocked in consecutive kills, but a 4-1 Pride span followed. Springfield then closed out the set on another 3-0 run.
The fourth set was another tight one, and Vassar took a 16-14 advantage when Andrew Kim hit in a kill. Springfield scored the next four before an error broke the streak. Lounsbery scored on a kill to keep Vassar in striking distance at 20-21. Springfield closed out strong again to tie 2-2 in the sets.
As expected, the final set could have gone either way. Vassar tied 12-12 after van Beveren scored on the kill and then blocked Jones on a Brandow Brennen attack. Lounsbery would tie at 15-15 after a kill, and two final errors from the Brewers gave Springfield the win.
Andrew Kim led Vassar with 20 kills and added seven digs. Adam Gulick (Buffalo, NY) tacked on 12 kills, three blocks, and seven digs, while Lounsbery recorded 11 kills. Van Beveren had three service aces four blocks, and Jacob Kim (Pleasanton, CA) dished out a match-high 54 assists. Matt Usui led the team with 13 digs.
Anderson tallied a match-high 25 kills on .408 hitting. Brandow added 15 kills, while York had ten. Johjan Mussa Robles led the Pride with 12 digs.
Vassar handled Illinois Tech in the second match by winning 25-12, 25-19, and 25-19. In the first set, the Brewers went on a 5-0 run after it was tied 3-3. Lounsbery sent in two straight service aces, and Kim added another kill. Vassar built to a 13-5 lead after Joe Hendrickson (Feeding Hills, MA) scored on an ace. Vassar continued to roll and had no problem winning the set.
Illinois Tech played hard to take a 6-7 lead, but a Hendrickson kill and two errors by the Scarlet Hawks gave Vassar the advantage. First-years Gavin Akoto (Justice, IL) and Billy Fan (Saratoga, CA), and sophomore Andrew Guaragno (Holmdel, NJ) each knocked in a kill to make it 13-9. Vassar then used a 6-0 run with three Vaughn Ramsey (Denver, CO) service aces to keep pulling away. First-year Tobias Clark (Silver Spring, MD) hit in a kill right before senior Andrew Halberg (Newark, DE) tapped in the set-winning kill.
The Scarlet Hawks kept the third set close, but the Brewers were too much to handle. After it was tied 17-17, Ramsey scored on a kill, and junior Jordan Klembczyk (Penfield, NY) hit an ace. Vassar finished the set on a 5-1 run to complete the sweep.
Vassar is back home on Tues. Mar. 1 to host Milwaukee School of Engineering at 6 p.m.
