Poughkeepsie, NY – The Vassar College Women's Basketball team opens play in the 2024 Liberty League Championship Friday night when the top-seeded Brewers play host to Union in the Semifinal Round. Tip-off from the Athletics and Fitness Center in Poughkeepsie is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with Live Stats and Video available for those unable to attend.
At A Glance
The Brewers enter Friday's tilt with a 23-2 overall record and completed the conference schedule with 17 wins in 18 outings. The Brewers ripped of 21 straight victories from November 17 through February 10 and after stumbling at William Smith on the final Friday of the regular season, rebounded for a 66-59 road win at Ithaca a day later.
A balanced Vassar scoring attack features a trio of players averaging at least 14 points per game.
Julia Harvey (Delmar, NY) and
Sierra McDermed (San Antonio, TX) led the way with 14.2 points per night, with
Tova Gelb (Sharon, MA) producing 14.1 points per outing. Harvey has made 38 three-pointers on the season, while McDermed has canned a team-high 44 triples and is shooting just shy of 40-percent from bonus distance.
Gelb is in the midst of a career year and in addition to scoring prowess is leading the team in rebounding (9.2), assists (2.4) and steals (1.9). Gelb is shooting 47.1-percent from the floor overall and ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage, fourth in steals and seventh in assists. The trio of Harvey, McDermed and Gelb rank second, third and fourth in the Liberty League in scoring average.
Naiya Kurnik (Fallbrook, CA) supports the offense with just shy of eight points per game, while adding 4.6 rebounds per outing.
Bella Tawney (Simsbury, CT) checks in with nearly five points per outing and hauls in just over five caroms per night.
As a team, the Brewers are second in the conference in both scoring (67.7) and scoring defense (52.7) and top the league in scoring margin, besting opponents by 15 points per game.
Regular Season Series Vs. Union
The Brewers had a pair of hard-fought victories over the Garney Chargers, taking a 70-60 decision on the road on January 19 before holding off Union in a 60-53 home win on February 3.
In the road victory, McDermed poured in 26 points, going 5-for-8 from three-point range, to go along with nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. Harvey notched 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting with Gelb chipping in 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Brewers were held to 34.3-percent shooting in the game, but made three more triples than Union and outscored the Garnet Chargers 14-3 from the free-throw line.
At home on February 3, McDermed again erupted for a season-high 26 points, finishing off a double-double with a career-high 15 rebounds. Gelb added 16 points and a career-best 18 boards, while Kurnik totaled six points, six rebounds and five assists.
Vassar shot just 27.5-percent from the field in the game, but again outscored Union 17-4 from the free-throw line and 21-2 in second chance scoring.
Recent History Vs. Union
Since the start of the 1990 season, Vassar and Union at 29-29 against each other. From January 27, 2001 through February 14, 2009 Union won 18 straight contests and including this year's two regular season wins, Vassar has won the last eight meetings and 12 of the last 13.
Performers Of The Week
Vassar has been honored with seven Liberty League Performer of the Week honors, led by four citations for Gelb. Harvey was tabbed the Performer of the Week on January 2 and McDermed picked up weekly honors on December 11 and February 11.
First Time, Long Time
Vassar entered the WBCA Coaches Poll at #24 on January 30, marking the first time it had appeared in the poll since 2013. The Brewers rose as high as #20 on February 13 and have appeared in each of the last four rankings.
Regional Rankings
The Brewers have appeared in each of the first three NCAA Regional Rankings and have been ranked second in Region III in each of the last two weeks.
Recent Liberty League Championship History
Friday's semifinal will mark the sixth straight year there has been a championship contested, no tournament in 2021, that the Brewers have qualified. Vassar will be in search of its first Liberty League crown since winning the title in 2014.
Head Coach
Meredith Mesaris is in her first season at the helm of the Women's Basketball team at Vassar and has improved the program's win total from 18 in 2022-23 to 23 to date in 2023-24.
A standout player at the Division III level at Scranton, Mesaris scored 1,758 career points. Mesaris was named the Landmark Player of the Year as a senior and was selected as a WBCA All-American twice.
Vassar is Mesaris' first head coaching position, but she has been on the sidelines as an assistant at Hendrix, Williams, Dartmouth and Hartford.
What's At Stake
The winner of Friday's semifinal in Poughkeepsie will take on the winner of the Skidmore and Ithaca semifinal for the right to represent the Liberty League in the NCAA Tournament. The Championship Final will be played Sunday afternoon at the highest remaining seed.
