NYU and Vassar College will represent the United Volleyball Conference in the 2024 NCAA Division III Tournamen. First round matchups owill take place on Friday, April 19, while quarterfinal matchups will take place on Saturday, April 20.
Game times will be announced in the coming days.
NYU earned an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship after defeating Vassar in four sets to claim the UVC Championship on April 14. The Violets will take on Baruch College on Friday, April 19. Southern Virginia is the host of the four-team pod and will host St. Joaeph's of Long Island in the other first round matchup on Friday. The two first round winners will meet in the quarterfinals from Southern Virginia on Saturday, April 20.
Setter Devyn Nguyen, the 2024 UVC Rookie of the Year and UVC Championship Most Valuable Player is second among all UVC student-athletes, averaging 9.85 assists per set, while Zach Knudsen, the UVC Libero of the Year is fifth in the league with 2.45 digs per set and Buddy Cohen is second among all UVC student-athletes, averaging 1.02 blocks per set. Luke Boyer, Ry Kagan, Lucas Osiecki and Emerson Evans are a strong quartet of hitters. Boyer and Osiecki lead the Violets with 238 kills apiece, while Kagan is right behind with 222 to go along with a .411 hitting percentage, third best in the league. Evans has 196 kills and Osiecki also has a team-high 32 service aces.
Vassar earned a Pool C at-large bid into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship, as the Brewers will travel to Wentworth Institute of Technology this weekend and will face off with Nichols on Friday. Wentworth is the host of the pod and will take on Lancaster Bible in the other First Round matchup on Friday.
Vassar finished the regular season as the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) regular season champions for the second straight season and hold a 23-7 overall record and 6-1 in UVC regular season play.
Vassar is led by UVC Player of the Year senior
Jacob Kim, who has recorded 233 kills (.319 hitting percentage) along with 29 service aces (tied for the team high) and is second on the squad in assists with 360. Kim has also added 51 total blocks which is third on the team and currently ranks sixth all-time in Vassar history in assists with over 2,000. Second Team All-UVC selection senior
Vaughn Ramsey leads the team in kills with 233 and is hitting .346 on the season while ranking second on the team in blocks with 64.
Junior
Gavin Akoto ranks third on the team in kills with 142 and leads the squad in blocks with 69. First year
Tucker Shearn is the conference leader in digs with 260 and digs per set with 2.83 while senior
AJ Erickson leads the team in assists with 521.
The Brewers sit at the top of the UVC leaderboard in hitting percentage and blocks while also ranking third in kills and second in opponent hitting percentage. Vassar is fourth nationally in blocks per set with 2.35 and sits in the top-10 in hitting percentage at .304.
ABOUT THE UNITED VOLLEYBALL CONFERENCE
The members of the United Volleyball Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices.
For more on the UVC visit
www.theuvc.org.
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