POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The Vassar College Men's Volleyball team earned its first conference victory of the season with a 25-23, 25-14, 25-22 sweep over Elmira before completing a five-set thrilling upset over No. 1 Springfield with a 25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 16-14 triumph over the Pride.

Vassar's record improves to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in UVC action while the Brewers win over the Pride marks the first Division III loss for Springfield and the fourth straight win over Springfield inside Kenyon Hall.

Vassar 3 Elmira 0

First Set

• Vassar earned a 5-3 lead to start the match as first year Carroll Jenkins, senior James Zuckerman and junior Walter Birnbaum each buried a kill along with a block from Zuckerman and sophomore Petar Miocinovic.
• Elmira responded to take a 8-7 lead behind two kills from Dylan Vargas and a block from Vargas and Drake Connors.
• The Soaring Eagles lead grew to 13-11 on an ace from Ethan Davenport until VC responded with an ace from Zuckerman, a kill from first year Mason Cochran and a triple block from Jenkins, Cochran and Birnbaum to take a 16-14 lead.
• After the Brewers advantage grew to 20-17 on three straight winners from Jenkins, Elmira evened the set at 20 on a kill and an ace from Luke Jata and a kill from Gabriel Staron.
• VC regained the lead at 22-20 on a kill from first year Darwin Davis and a block from Davis and Zuckerman.
• Elmira tied the set again at 23 but a Birnbaum kill and a block from Jenkins and Cochran clinched the opening set 25-23 win for Vassar.

Second Set

• After a Jata ace put the Soaring Eagles up 3-2, Vassar tallied the next five points to pull ahead 7-3 on two Zuckerman blocks and a winner each from Miocinovic, Davis and Jenkins.
• The lead grew to 10-4 on two Miocinovic aces before Elmira got within 11-7 on an ace from Staron.
• VC built its lead up to 17-9 behind a kill each from Jenkins and Zuckerman along with an ace from Cochran.
• Elmira trimmed the lead to 21-14 on a winner from George Flores Jr. until the Brewers scored the final four points of the set on a kill and a solo block sophomore Shawn Zheng, a solo block from Jenkins and another blocks from Jenkins and Cochran.

Third Set

• Vassar held an early 4-1 lead after a block from first year George Idowu and Miocinovic until Elmira tied it at five on a Davenport ace.
• VC pulled back ahead 10-7 on kills from Zheng and Cochran and a double block from Jenkins and Cochran.
• Elmira responded to take a 12-11 lead after two kills from Jata and a winner each from Davenport and Vargas.
• The Brewers scored the net three points to go back ahead 14-12 until Elmira used a Staron kill to regain a 16-15 lead.
• A kill from Jenkins along with a block from Cochran and Zheng pushed Vassar back ahead 19-17.
• The Soaring Eagles would get as close as two at 22-20 on a Jata kill but two kills from Zuckerman and a winner from Jenkins completed the three set sweep.

For The Brewers

• Jenkins led the way with a career-high 11 kills (.647) and six blocks while Zuckerman tallied five kills and five blocks.
• Miocinovic recorded four kills, four assists, two aces and five blocks along with Zheng adding four kills, two blocks and two digs.
• Cochran closed the day with three kills and five blocks while junior Parker Schoenl registered a team-high 18 assists and five digs.
• Senior Casey McMenamin lifted four digs.

For The Soaring Eagles

• Staron garnered a match-high 13 kills and three digs while Jata recorded nine kills, two aces and four digs.
• Connors put together eight kills and two digs while Vargas finished with four kills.
• Davenport chipped in four kills and two aces along with Nick Rohman handing out a match-high 26 assists.
• Erik Ziemblicki posted 10 assists, Austin Hoopes lifted four digs and Connor Barton added three digs.

Vassar 3 Springfield 2

First Set

• Springfield gained a 5-3 lead to begin the first set as Brennan Cutter, Dylan Mulvaney and Will Kirchhoff each buried a kill.
• Vassar evened the set at seven after two kills and an ace from sophomore Henry Bonney.
• Two kills from Nathan Goh and a winner from Mulvaney pushed the Pride back ahead 11-9 until VC took its first lead at 14-13 on back-to-back kills from Miocinovic.
• Birnbaum's winner added to the lead to make it 16-14 until Springfield scored four straight, led by a kill each from Cutter and Sam Levinson, to regain a 18-16 lead.
• After a Goh kill at 19-17, Vassar scored five consecutive points behnd two Birnbaum kills and blocks from Cochran, Birnbaum and Bonney to go ahead 22-19.
• The Pride would get within 24-22 but another Bonney winner earned the Brewers the first set victory.

Second Set

• Vassar was the first team to pull ahead in the second set as two kills from Birnbaum, a Bonney ace and a solo block from Schoenl put the Brewers on top 11-7.
• Springfield answered with a big 9-1 run, led by three kills from Levinson, two winners from Goh and a AJ Seveland ace to post a 16-12 lead.
• Kills from first year Kaden Chen and Birnbaum got within 18-14 until kills from Carter Durivage and Cutter propelled the advantage to 22-15.
• VC made a late run behind two Bonney kills and an ace to cut the deficit to 22-19 until Durivage buried a winner and a block from Durivage and Kirchhoff helped Springfield even the match.

Third Set

• The Brewers scored a 6-3 lead in the opening stages of the third set as Birnbaum buried three kills along with one winner from Zuckerman.
• VC's advantage rolled up to 12-6 following kills from Bonney and Miocinovic and a block from Zuckerman and Bonney.
• Springfield got the lead down to 13-10 on three kills from Levinson and a block from Evan Costley and Kirchhoff.
• Two more kills from Birnbaum and a kill from Cochran expanded the lead up to 16-11.
• Vassar ran away with the late stages of the set as two kills each from Miocinovic and Birnbaum and a Jenkins winner led the Brewers to a 25-17 set win.

Fourth Set

• Two kills each from Joey Preische and Levinson helped Springfield take a 7-6 lead to start the fourth set.
• Vassar took an 11-8 lead after a kill apiece from Miocinovic, Birnbaum and Bonney along with an ace from Zheng.
• The Pride evened the set at 13 on a block from Billy Cavanagh and Preische before moving in front 17-15 after kills from Levinson, Goh and Preische.
• A four-point run from the Brewers rolled them in front 19-17 after another two kills from Miocinovic and Birnbaum.
• Levinson's ace evened the set at 19 and the Pride pulled back ahead 21-20 on a Preische kill.
• After Vassar regained the lead at 22-21, Springfield used four straight points, capped by two more winners from Preische, to send the match to a deciding fifth set.

Fifth Set

• Springfield scored a 5-2 lead to begin the final stanza as Goh and Cutter each buried a kill along with an ace from Preische.
• The Pride's lead expanded to 10-5 on a Levinson kill before Vassar began its comeback in the fifth set.
• VC used a kill each from Bonney and Birnbaum and a Zuckerman ace to get back within one at 11-10.
• Following a Goh kill to make it 12-10, a kill and a solo block from Bonney evened the set at 12.
• Cutter posted a kill to take a one-point lead until a Springfield error and another solo block from Bonney put the Brewers ahead 14-13.
• The Pride evened the set at 14 before Bonney buried a kill and Zuckerman collected a kill off an overpass to seal the upset victory for Vassar.

For The Brewers

• Birnbaum garnered a career-high 27 kills (.367), two aces and nine digs while Bonney totaled 19 kills, three aces, eight blocks (three solo) and five digs.
• Miocinovic recorded eight winners and nine digs along with Zuckerman posting five kills, two aces and two blocks.
• Cochran chipped in four blocks while Schoenl registered 45 assists, a solo block and three digs.
• McMenamin lifted a career-high 18 digs.

For The Pride

• Levinson tallied 18 kills, 12 digs and three blocks along with Goh adding 14 kills and 10 digs.
• Preische finished with nine kills and two blocks while Cutter chipped in seven kills and two blocks.
• Durivage registered six kills and two blocks along with Mulvaney recording three kills, 49 assists, two blocks and 10 digs.
• Kirchhoff secured three kills and four blocks and Ricardo Ortiz lifted 11 digs.

Up Next

• Vassar hits the road for the month of March as the Brewers travel to Drew on Friday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m.