Springfield, Mass. - February 16, 2023 - In a showdown of two teams ranked in the top five nationally, the Springfield College men's volleyball team was upended by Vassar on Thursday night.  Vassar prevailed by the scores of 25-21, 25-22, 26-28, 25-23. 

Springfield, which was ranked third in the latest AVCA Division III National Coaches Poll, dropped to 10-2 on the season, while the third-ranked Brewers improved to 9-1.

Jarrett Anderson (Largo, Fla.) totaled a team-best 18 kills to go along with five blocks and four digs, while Chris Rouleau (Bay Shore, N.Y.) notched nine blocks and six kills in the middle.  Dylan Mulvaney (Reston, Va.) was credited with 37 assists and three aces and Noah Weislo (Orchard Park, N.Y.) chipped in 11 kills. 

Vassar was paced by Andrew Kim, who registered a match-high 19 kills and Jacob Kim produced 36 assists and 15 digs. 

In a back-and-forth first set, Springfield was able to open up a 14-12 led after Weislo ripped a ball down the line in transition and later forced Vassar into a timeout at 20-18 after the Brewers sixth attack error of the frame.  However, Kim took over with five kills and a block down the stretch to help the hosts rally for a 25-21 win.

Joel DeCamp (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Anderson would combine for a monster block on the pin to put the Pride ahead 14-12 in the second, but Vassar would respond with a 7-4 push to regain a 19-18 edge on another kill by Kim. Springfield would battle back to knot things up at 21, only to have Vassar again pull away late to win a 25-22 set in which Springfield managed just six kills and had 10 service errors.  

The Pride's offense founds it rhythm in the third as it recorded 14 kills and would hold a 21-18 advantage when Mulvaney and Rouleau combined to block a backrow attack out of a Vassar timeout. The hosts would respond with the next three points and the teams would trade side outs until Anderson buried a kill and Rouleau and Mulvaney came up with a block on an out-of-system attack by Vassar to seal the 28-26 win. 

In the fourth, Springfield built a 19-15 cushion when Anderson and DeCamp clamped on the pin for a thunderous block to cap off a long rally, but a 4-0 burst by the Brewers tied things up at 19 apiece.  Springfield would regain a 21-20 lead on an Anderson kill, but as they had all night, Vassar would make a late push, using a 5-2 surge which featured three Springfield miscues, to rally for the win. 

Springfield will host a tri-match with Hunter and St. Joseph on Saturday starting at 1 pm. 

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