POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The Vassar College Women's Volleyball team opens its 2023 slate this weekend as the Brewers take part in the two-day Gordon Invitational with matchups against the host Fighting Scots, local foe Mount Saint Mary and 10th ranked MIT. The Brewers return its entire starting lineup from a season ago where they finished sixth overall in the Liberty League standings and reached the Liberty League Championship for the first time since 2018.

MEETING THE SQUAD: 

• The top six kills leaders return for Vassar in 2023, led by Liberty League Honorable Mention junior Hailey Hayes who notched 201 winners during the 2022 campaign. 
• Sophomore Melia Voss also returns as the leading setter for the Brewers with 488 assists while sophomore Molly Delahunty looks to build on a freshman campaign that saw the sophomore register a team-high 30 service aces and was second on the team in kills with 146.
• Senior Maya Levine returns in the back row for Vassar as she led the way in digs with 275 while junior Julia Hale and sophomore Rebecca Gutierrez return as the two leading blockers for the Brewers.
• Vassar brings in three to the first year class in 2023 as T Petro looks to bolster the back row along with Levine and sophomore Ellie Kogan while Holland Kaplan and Maura McAusland will look to make an instant impact as hitters in the Brewers rotation.

SCHEDULE OUTLOOK:

• Following Vassar's opening weekend at Gordon, the Brewers will begin its home schedule with the Vassar Quad on September 8th and 9th as they will host Saint Joseph (CT), Neumann, Hartford and Wheaton (Mass.).
• VC will enter the Liberty League schedule on September 22nd with a road matchup with Clarkson followed by a meeting with Skidmore on the following day. Vassar's first home conference matchup is scheduled with William Smith on September 30th before having four straight road matches against non-conference foes.
• The Brewers will face off with RIT, Ithaca and Union in three straight home conference matches from October 20-25 before concluding the home schedule with a tri-match with Russell Sage and Marywood for Senior Day on November 4th.
• The Liberty League Championship will begin on November 7th with the First Round matchups followed by the Semifinals on November 10th and the Championship match on November 11th.

PRESEASON RANKINGS:

• Defending Liberty League champion Ithaca was recognized as the league's front runner with seven first-place votes for 63 points. Clarkson was picked to finish second with a first-place vote and 55 points while William Smith was tabbed third with 53 points and a first-place vote.
• Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Union followed in fourth and fifth with 41 and 37 points respectively.
• Vassar was selected to finish sixth overall with 24 points and the Brewers are followed by Skidmore College (23), St. Lawrence University (18), and Bard College (10).

COACHING STAFF:

• Head Coach Jonathan Penn returns for his 27th year at Vassar and holds the mark for the all-time winningest coach in Brewers volleyball history along with longtime assistant coach Joe Torella.