Poughkeepsie, NY – Coming off of its fourth ever Liberty League title and first since 2014, the #RV/22 Vassar College Women's Basketball team will open play in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Friday night in Lexington, VA at #19/9 Washington and Lee. Live Stats and Video will be available for those unable to attend the contest.
At A Glance: Vassar enters Friday's contest at 25-2 overall and coming off a tough 44-32 win over Skidmore in the Liberty League Championship Final on Sunday.
Tova Gelb (Sharon, MA) was tabbed the championship Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.0 points and 11.5 rebounds for the Brewers in the tournament.
Gelb sits atop the team leaderboard in nearly every statistical category entering Friday's contest, leading the way in points (14.4), rebounds (9.3), assists (2.3), steals (1.9) and field goal percentage (46.7). Along with
Sierra McDermed (San Antonio, TX) and
Julia Harvey (Delmar, NY), the Brewers have three players scoring in double-figures and three of the top six point producers in the Liberty League.
As a team, Vassar ranked second in the Liberty League in scoring and defense and led the conference in free-throw percentage (71.2), combined rebounding (43.4) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (23.6).
Tip-Off: Vassar will make its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament Friday night when it takes on #19/9 Washington and Lee in Lexington, VA. The Knights and Generals will meet for the first time ever on Friday at Holekamp Gym with tip-off set for 7:30 pm.
Last Time Out: Vassar won its fourth Liberty League title on Sunday in a hard fought 44-32 decision over Skidmore at the Athletics and Fitness Center in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Tova Gelb led the way for the Brewers with game-highs of 18 points and 16 rebounds on her way to being named the Liberty League Championship Most Outstanding Player.
A Look At Washington And Lee: The Generals enter Friday's contest at 26-2 overall and off an 89-80 overtime win against Shenandoah in the ODAC title game, the team's 11th straight victory. The Generals average 78.0 points per game and are shooting 42.4-percent from the floor as a team.
Washington and Lee is led by ODAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year Mary Schleusner who reached the 1,000 career point mark in her sophomore season. Schleusner enters Friday's contest averaging 22.9 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.0m blocks per game while shooting 55.1-percent from the floor.
What's At Stake: The winner of Friday's game between the Brewers and Generals will advance on to the Second Round where it will take on either Catholic or Penn St. Behrend at 7:15 p.m.
How We Got Here: Vassar, who sat atop the Liberty League standings from the outset, holds a 25-2 overall record. The Brewers won 21 straight contests from November 17 through February 10 and are currently on a three-game winning streak. Vassar claimed its first Liberty League title since 2014 after defeating fifth seed Union (64-53) in the semifinal round of the conference championship and second seed Skidmore (44-32) in the championship final.
Outstanding!: After averaging 19.0 points and 11.5 rebounds over two games in the Liberty League Championship, junior
Tova Gelb was tabbed the Championship's Most Outstanding Performer following an 18-point, 16-rebound performance in the Final against Skidmore.
Weekly Honors: Vassar has been honored with eight Liberty League Performer of the Week honors, led by five 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.
All-Conference Accolades: The Brewers feature a trio of First Team All-Liberty League performers with
Tova Gelb,
Julia Harvey and
Sierra McDermed all representing the top team in the league in the postseason awards.
Staff of the Year: After leading Vassar to a 17-1 mark in Liberty League play, head coach
Meredith Mesaris (First Season) and assistant coach
Morgan McCrea (second season) were recognized by the Liberty League as the 2024 Coaching Staff of the Year
No Seniors, No Problem: The 2023-24 squad does not feature any seniors and the Brewers consistently start two juniors and three sophomores. The 16-player roster consists of three First Years, nine sophomores and four juniors.
Captains, please: juniors
Ashley Mostrom,
Tash Thompson and
Julia Harvey are serving as team captains for the 2023-24 season.
Streaking: The Brewers posted a program best 21-game winning streak from November 17 though February 10 and after starting the year 1-1 have won 24 of their last 25 contests.
Home Cookin': The Brewers went a perfect 13-0 at home in 2023-24, including a pair of victories in the 2024 Liberty League Championship.
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 five rankings.
What Are The Odds?: The last game Vassar played in the NCAA Tournament came in a tight 72-71 loss to the University of Scranton in the Second Round on March 8, 2014. In that contest, Vassar head coach
Meredith Mesaris was in the starting five for Scranton and finished the contest with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Mesaris File: 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 24 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.
