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#11 Vassar Falls in Conference Opener, 1-3, to #9 Stevens Institute
BOX
SCORE
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 1, 2012)
In both teams opening match of conference play – and
Stevens' first match of the season – the visiting Ducks
fended off a Brewer rally to take the match in four sets, 23-25,
19-25, 25-22, 24-26. Vassar was led by Matt Elgin, who notched 11
kills while hitting .409. Christian
La Du made a match-high 18 digs.
Stevens is now 1-0 and will next host non-conference foe Ramapo
College February 4th, while Vassar drops to 2-2 and will
travel to Stevens Institute for the first of two United Volleyball
Conference weekends on February 11th and
12th.
The fourth set proved the most exciting, with the Brewers, down
two sets to one, fighting back from a six point deficit late,
12-18, before tying the set at 21. A Stevens time-out was only a
brief respite, and when a Duck hitting error and Vassar kill pushed
the led to 23-21, the Brewers seemed poised to finish the comeback
and force a fifth set. Tough Stevens serving forced a couple of
quick Brewer errors, and a big Jake Modestow kill gave the Ducks
their first match point. A Vassar time-out gave them a chance to
re-group, and a kill from Colin
Fearn-Johnson tied it again at 24-24, but Stevens
was not to be denied, with a Ryan Seifert kill and Dave Evans block
closing out the set 26-24 and the match 3-1.
The first set looked like it was going to be all Stevens as they
led from the outset and built a six point lead at 17-11, but Vassar
got a little momentum going and scored four unanswered to get
within two at 15-17. The Ducks finally broke serve but would not
extend their lead again and after a Joe
Pyne kill tied it at 20-20 – the first since 9-9,
Pyne followed with a service ace to give the Brewers their first
lead 21-20. The teams traded points until 23-23, when an Aeckerle
kill and a Vassar hitting error gave Stevens the first set win
25-23. Hitting percentage was the big difference in the set, with
Stevens almost doubling Vassar's .231 with an impressive .452.
The second set felt much like the first early on with Stevens
jumping out to the first lead and stretching it to four at 15-11
before Vassar could put together a run and tie it up at 15-15.
After trading kills for another tie at sixteen, the visiting Ducks
took control offensively and in this set didn't give it back.
Vassar got with two twice, but the Stevens lead grew to six, which
would prove the winning margin 25-19, giving the Ducks a 2-0 set
advantage. Ian Tyger led the way for Stevens with five kills.
The Brewers showed no signs of giving in, however, opening the
third set with great energy and jumping out to a 6-2 lead, their
largest of the match so far. Stevens seemed put off-balance by
their biggest deficit of the match, but soon recovered their poise
and began to narrow the gap. Vassar kept the lead at two until
10-8, before the Ducks – helped by three Vassar hitting
errors - scored five unanswered points to build a three point lead
of their own at 13-10. The Brewers could get no closer than two
before consecutive Stevens errors tied it at 19-19. Two more Duck
errors gave Vassar a two point edge and forced a Stevens time-out.
A missed serve out of the time-out made it a one point game, but
following a Vassar kill and a huge block by Pat Donohue and
Fearn-Johnson – who subbed in mid-set – the Vassar lead
was back to three, their eventual margin of victory in the set
25-22.
The match showcased some depth for Vassar, with eleven players
contributing. Charles
Caldwell had eight kills and nine digs, while John
Konow had 36 of Vassar's 42 assists. The Brewers
held an 8-3 margin in blocks, with Donohue leading the match with
five. The biggest edge on the stat sheet went to the Ducks, who dug
67 balls to Vassar's 50, with three players in double figures.
Tyger and Seifert paced the Stevens offence with 14 and 13 kills
respectively.
