No. 12 Vassar Defeats Men's Volleyball

BUFFALO, NY – The12^th-ranked Vassar men's volleyball team recorded 42 kills and 15 blocks to defeat Penn State Behrend 3-0 on the first day of the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover hosted by Medaille on Saturday.

Matt Elgin hit .667 with 10 kills on 15 attempts with no errors and added three blocks to lead the Brewers (2-2, 1-0 UVC) to a 25-17, 25-20 and 25-21 victory. John Konow handed out 23 assists and Reno Kriz had nine kills and five blocks.

For the Lions (2-5, 0-2 UVC), Nathan Steele (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) and Grant Kocher (McMurray, PA/Peters Township) each registered 11 kills and five digs. Kocher also had three blocks and Steele had two.

Vassar had a combined four errors in the first two set, including a perfect first set with 15 kills on 26 attacks for an eight-point win. With a 9-7 lead, the Brewers used a 7-2 run thanks to a pair of kills from Patrick Donohue and Elgin to go ahead, 16-9. Vassar kept a comfortable lead for a one-set advantage.

The Brewers only held a three-point lead the majority of the second set. Vassar managed to take a six-point lead at 18-12, but the Lions were able to come back cut the lead to 21-18 behind a kill from Steele and three services aces by the Brewers. Vassar won the final four out of six points for a 2-0 lead in the match.

After putting up a good fight in the first two sets, Behrend jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the third. The Brewers turned the tables with kills from Kriz and Donohue, and a pair of aces from Erik Halberg for an 11-9 edge. The Lions could not get back the lead they once had and Vassar captured the third set, 25-21.

Behrend is scheduled to face NYU tomorrow at 9 a.m. and then Bard at 3 p.m. on the second day of the UVC Crossover.