POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The top-seeded #8 Vassar College Men's Volleyball cruised to a 25-12, 25-21, 25-20 sweep over fourth-seeded #12 MIT in the UVC Championship semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Kenyon Hall and will advance to tomorrow's championship game.
The Brewers improve to 23-6 overall on the season and will square off with the winner of second-seeded NYU and sixth-seeded Nazareth at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow.
FIRST SET
- Following a back-and-forth opening start to the first set, a block from senior Vaughn Ramsey, senior Colin Jones and junior Payne Lounsbery led Vassar to a 8-4 lead.
- Grant Oh's winner put MIT within 13-9 followed by two kills and an ace from junior Billy Fan to expand the lead to 16-10.
- After a kill from Nick Gustafson put the Engineers within 17-11, Vassar rattled off seven straight points, capped by blocks from Jones, Ramsey and Lounsbery.
- Ramsey's winner took the opening set for the Brewers 25-12.
SECOND SET
- G. Oh's service ace knotted the set at five all followed by a block from Max Turner and Phillip Johnson to tie it at eight.
- Vassar built its lead to 17-11 following two kills from Ramsey along with an ace and a winner from Jones.
- Senior Jacob Kim's service ace increased the advantage to 20-12 and Ramsey's winner put Vassar up 23-14.
- Five straight points from the Engineers, led by a kill from G. Oh and Michael Rini, brought MIT within 24-21 before Vassar's Jones buried a kill to take the second set.
THIRD SET
- MIT earned an 8-4 lead to begin the third set on five kills from Gustafson and an ace from Ryan Espinoza.
- Vassar battled back to tie it at 12 after a Jones winner and took the lead 18-13 after a six point run, led by two kills from Ramsey and two aces from Kim.
- Kills from Gustafson and G.Oh cut the lead to 22-18 before three kills from Kim in the final four points clinched the three-set victory.
FOR THE BREWERS
- Ramsey recorded 10 kills and seven blocks along with Jones tallying seven kills, seven blocks and an ace.
- Kim finished with nine kills, four aces, 10 assists and four digs while Fan added six winners and seven digs.
- Akoto registered five kills and five blocks along with Lounsbery adding four blocks and six digs.
- Senior AJ Erickson handed out a team-best 21 assists and four digs while first year Tucker Shearn lifted a match-best 10 digs,
FOR THE ENGINEERS
- Gustafson buried a match-high 19 kills and added five digs while G.Oh recorded nine winners and six digs.
- Johnson finished with two kills and three blocks along with Turner handing out a team-high 24 assists and lifted five digs.
UP NEXT
- Vassar awaits the winner of sixth-seeded Nazareth and second-seeded NYU in the UVC Championship game tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.