POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 4, 2010) – Fans wanting to catch a busy weekend of athletic contests will only have to visit the Athletics & Fitness Center and Kenyon Hall. Competition will abound at those two sites on Friday and Saturday.
Men’s volleyball kickoff’s Friday night’s competition at Kenyon Hall against Stevens Institute of Technology at 6:00 p.m. Up the hill at the AFC, the women’s and men’s basketball teams host Liberty League contests against St. Lawrence at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The spotlight shines back at Kenyon on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. when the women’s squash team hosts the annual Seven Sisters Classic. Saturday afternoon brings two more league basketball games for the women and men against Clarkson, at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Since the 2001 season, the women’s squash team has been either champion or a finalist in the annual Seven Sisters Squash Classic. This season, the Brewers will host the event starting at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at Kenyon Hall. Led by seniors
Hope Blinkoff,
Emilie Kraft, and
Caitlin Ly, Vassar looks to dethrone Mount Holyoke, winners of the last three classics. The one-day event also features Smith College and Wellesley College.
Three Vassar teams compete in away venues on Saturday. Men’s and women’s fencing travel to Tufts for the second round of North East Conference matches that will mark the end of the regular season schedule. Women’s swimming heads to Skidmore for the Sprint Invite.
No. 10 nationally ranked men’s volleyball (3-2, 1-0) has a busy two days as its season becomes extremely competitive. Following Tuesday’s 3-0 loss against No. 9 New York University, the Brewers host No. 8 ranked Stevens on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Last season, Vassar fell to the Ducks 3-1 (30-23, 25-30, 19-30, 29-31). The Brewers then head to Stevens on Saturday for two neutral site matches against Endicott at noon and Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 2:00 p.m. Last season, Vassar lost to Endicott 3-0 (29-31, 26-30, 31-33) in one of the closest matches of the season. Then junior
Phil Tully had 20 kills for Vassar. Vassar played MIT in the opening round of last year’s NECVA Tournament and swept the Engineers 3-0 (31-29, 30-26, 30-24). Four Brewers earned double figures in kills, led by 22 kills from Tully.
Women’s basketball (7-10, 3-4) lost its final non-league game of the season to Eastern Connecticut, 70-55, on Tuesday night, and can now focus on its push toward the league playoffs. The Brewers stand in sixth place in league standings, but just one game out of fourth place behind Union and St. Lawrence, both of whom have 4-4 records. The Brewers jump-started their season by sweeping both St. Lawrence and Clarkson in the opening weekend of Liberty League play on January 15-16. It was the first time in school history that the Brewers stared 2-0 in the league. The Brewers face St. Lawrence (12-6, 4-4) at 6:00 p.m. and Clarkson (4-14, 1-7) on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Senior
Emily Haeuser leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 14.5 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Men’s basketball (2-15, 0-7) can look at last season’s 76-65 upset of St. Lawrence for inspiration on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. The Saints (10-9, 6-2) are tied with Skidmore atop Liberty League standings. Vassar hosts Clarkson (10-8, 4-4), the league’s fourth place team, on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. With five of their next seven league games at home, the Brewers have a golden opportunity to play spoiler in a crowded playoff push with five teams currently in the mix for the fourth playoff spot. Sophomore
Caleb McGraw leads Vassar in scoring at 18.3 points per game and freshman
John Donnelly tops in rebounding at 6.6 rebounds per game.
Men’s fencing (12-8, 3-2) and women’s fencing (9-13, 3-3) both travel to Tufts for the second round of North East Conference matches. The men are led by junior
Andrew Fischl and the women by junior
Julie Carlsen. At Tufts, the Brewers will face Tufts, UMass, Smith, Wellesley, Sacred Heart, Dartmouth, Boston University and New Hampshire. It is the final tune-up before the New England Championships on February 21.
For women’s swimming, speed is the name of the game at the Sprint Invite, which is the final race before the New York State Championships on February 18 in Syracuse, NY. Last year the Brewers won 11 of 14 races in an impressive first place performance.