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No. 3 Vassar Sweeps No. 4 NYU in International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic Consolation Ga
SPRINGFIELD, MA – After dropping a tough five-set loss the night before, the No. 3 Vassar men's volleyball team swept NYU 3-0 in the consolation game on Saturday evening. The Brewers now move to 4-1 overall, while the Violets slip to 2-3. Vassar easily won the first set 25-15, but the next two were close at 25-23 and 26-24.
For his performance, senior captain Matt Usui (Rolling Hills Estates, CA) was named to the all-tournament team after totaling 15 digs and three assists in the two matches.
Vassar jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the first, with Gavin van Beveren (Alpharetta, GA) knocking in two aces and a kill. The Violets struggled to rally in the set, and the Brewers took a 17-6 lead following a 4-0 span that included a kill and ace by Colin Jones (San Diego, CA). The Brewers hit .478 while holding NYU to .214.
NYU stayed in the second set, and Gautham Dasari tied it 10-10 when he sent in a kill. It went back-and-forth until the Violets used a 3-0 run to take the lead. After a Violets' serve error, the Brewers fought back and eventually tied the set 22-22. NYU's Lucas Osiecki sent in a kill to take the lead, but Vassar closed out on a 3-0 run that was capped off with a triple block by Andrew Kim (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), Jacob Kim (Pleasanton, CA), and van Beveren.
The Violets used a 7-0 run to take a 9-6 edge in the third off the strength of two James Haag kills. It became a set of runs as Vassar later scored five straight to retake the lead, 19-17. NYU followed with a 7-3 span to gain the setpoint, 24-22, but Vassar completed the sweep with its own 4-0 run to win the third, 26-24.
Andrew Kim led Vassar with eight kills and three service aces, while Adam Gulick (Buffalo, NY) added seven kills and three blocks. Van Beveren totaled five kills, three aces, and six total blocks. First-year Payne Lounsbery also added two aces.
Vassar opens UVC play next when they travel to Cambridge, MA, to face MIT on Sat. Feb. 12 at 4 p.m.
