Vassar Collects Two Sweeps to Begin 2025 Campaign

By Steven Merritt

ONEONTA – Head Coach Tyler Blank earned his first career victory as a Brewer on Saturday as the Vassar College Women’s Volleyball team coasted to a 25-20, 25-21, 25-15 sweep over SUNY Geneseo and closed the day with a 25-15, 25-21, 25-23 victory over Utica at the Red Dragon Invitational. Vassar begins the season at 2-0 overall for the first time since 2015.

Vassar 3 Geneseo 0
First Set
The Knights took a 6-4 lead to open the match following aces from Carolyn Mack and Zooey Gagnier and a kill from Sydney Leigh-Manuell.

VC rattled off five straight points behind a kill each from junior Maura McAusland and sophomore Erin Lovett along with an ace from junior Holland Kaplan to take a 9-6 advantage.

A kill from Ayla Pas’cal cut the lead down to 11-10 until the Brewers scored five straight points, led by a kill apiece from Kaplan and senior Rebecca Gutierrez.

Geneseo got within 24-20 on a winner from Sophie Hunter but McAusland buried the final five kills of the set for Vassar to earn the first set victory.

Second Set
The second set began even at six apiece until kills from McAusland and Lovett pushed VC ahead 11-8.

Sophomore Eleanor Gegen, Kaplan, McAusland and Lovett collected a kill each to extend the Vassar advantage to 17-12.

A kill from Pas’cal and a solo block from Hunter brought Geneseo within three at 19-16.

Two kills from McAusland and a winner from Kaplan put Vassar at set point until a Gagnier kill put the Knights within 24-21.

Gegen buried a winner for the Brewers to put VC ahead 2-0.

Third Set
Vassar pulled ahead 4-1 to begin the third stanza before the Knights used a seven point run to go ahead 8-4 after two kills from Leigh-Manuell.

The Brewers clawed back to 9-8 on a block from Gutierrez and Kaplan and then scored eight straight points, led by kills from McAusland and Lovett, an ace from first year Summer Stern and a block from junior Francesca Medrano and Lovett.

Gagnier’s ace and a kill from Peyton Cole trimmed the VC lead down to 23-15.

VC completed the sweep on a kill from Gegen and a service ace from senior Ellie Kogan.

For The Brewers
McAusland led the way with 17 kills (.600) and seven digs along with Gegen adding eight kills and three digs.

Kaplan tallied six kills, two aces, a block and seven digs while Lovett chipped in five winners.

Medrano handed out a match-high 30 assists and recorded seven digs.

Kogan lifted a match-high 10 digs along with junior T Petro registering six digs.

For The Knights
Leigh-Manuell buried a team-high seven kills and Hunter recorded five winners.

Pas’cal chipped in three kills and two digs along with Gagnier adding two aces and seven digs.

Mack registered nine assists and four digs and McKenna Callari lifted a team-high eight digs.

Vassar 3 Utica 0
First Set
VC opened a quick 5-1 lead after kills from Kaplan and McAusland along with a block from Lovett and first year Elena Feuer.

The Brewers advantage exploded to 13-4 behind a kill each from Medrano and Lovett and an ace from Petro.

Three consecutive service aces from Stern pushed Vassar ahead 17-6.

The Pioneers got within 22-14 behind aces from Alicia Ancewicz and Kendall Turner.

A winner from first year Ellen Zwerling gave VC a first set victory.

Second Set
Two winners from Kaplan along with a kill apiece from McAusland, Feuer and Lovett and an ace from Kogan put Vassar ahead 7-3.

Utica answered to even the set at nine all after two kills from Turner and one winner from Charley Harrington.

Blocks from Lauren Jones, Mackenzie O’Brien and Jada Anthony spurred Utica ahead 15-13.

Two Kaplan winners along with a kill from Gutierrez and a Petro ace pushed Vassar back in front 17-15.

The Pioneers went back in front at 19-18 on a Turner winner before four straight Vassar points, led by two kills from McAusland, put the Brewers ahead 24-20.

McAusland buried the set-clinching kill to put the Brewers ahead two sets to none.

Third Set
VC soared ahead 8-2 to open the third set behind an ace from Kogan and a block from Kaplan and Gutierrez.

Utica slowly crawled back to get within two at 15-13 on a winner from Trinity Bailey.

A Bailey kill and three straight aces from Jones put the Pioneers even at 17 all.

A kill each from Kaplan and McAusland put Vassar in front 20-18 until four straight Utica points, led by an Emylie Stanton ace and kills from Turner and O’Brien.

Vassar battled back to go ahead 23-22 on a Gegen kill and used two Utica errors to complete the sweep.