GENEVA, N.Y.—The 15th-ranked Hobart volleyball team bounced back with a crucial 3-1 UVC win over No. 7 Vassar this afternoon in Bristol Gymnasium. With the win, the Statesmen move to 18-5 overall and 1-3 in the UVC, while the Brewers fall to 15-2 overall with a 4-1 mark in conference play. The win was the highest ranked win in program history for Hobart.

The thrilling conference matchup saw both sides put up impressive numbers this afternoon. Vassar put down 53 kills (.282) as a team compared to Hobart's 47 (.288) and held a 40-32 edge in digs against the Statesmen. Hobart held a 7-5 edge over the Brewers in blocking and added five aces compared to Vassar's four.

Graduate student Andrew Kim led the Statesmen with 15 kills, hitting .414 in the four-set win. He added nine digs, five blocks and three service aces to lead Hobart to victory. Sophomore Noah DeLong chipped in 13 kills (.370), three digs and a block, while classmate Daniel Sappia added 11 kills (.129), six digs and an assist in the win. Graduate student Benjamin Lincoln tallied a match-high 34 assists for Hobart.

Vassar was led by Tobias Clark (.381) and Billy Fan (.471) with 10 kills each. The duo combined for eight assists, seven digs and a block. Enzo Bertini added nine kills (.167) and a block in the loss. Nick Villamil and Payne Lounsbery chipped in 22 assists each for the Brewers.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• The Statesmen came out hot in the opening set and put down a match-high 15 kills (.323) to grab the early momentum. The Brewers combined for 13 kills (.333) but racked up four hitting errors and five service errors to hand Hobart a 25-22 win in set one.
• Hobart continued on its momentum into the second set and maintained the early lead throughout most of the set. The Statesmen block stepped up big in the second, combining for six blocks and holding Vassar to just nine kills and a -.042 hitting percentage. A block by first-year Alain Malcolm and Lincoln closed out the second set with the Statesmen on top 25-21.
• Vassar responded well in the must-win third set as it combined for 16 kills, hitting an impressive .560 clip as a team. The Brewers were led by a strong service run by Payne Lounsbery who tallied two aces in the run to hand Vassar a 25-19 win in set three.
• The Brewers continued on their momentum and shot out to an early lead in the fourth set until the Statesmen found the hot hands of Kim and DeLong to claw their way back into the set. Kim and DeLong put down five kills each in the final set as Hobart slipped away with a 25-23 win in the fourth set.

MATCH STATS:

• Kim led Hobart with 15 kills, hitting .414 through four sets. DeLong chipped in 13 kills (.370), while Sappia added 11 kills (.129) in the win.
• Lincoln led the Statesmen from the setter position and tallied 34 assists in the win. Sophomore Zack Farren chipped in eight assists for Hobart.
• The Statesmen combined for 32 digs as a team and were led by Kim with nine. Sappia chipped in six digs, while Farren added five in the win.
• Hobart held an 8-5 advantage in blocks against Vassar and was led by Kim with five. Malcolm added four blocks out of the middle, while sophomore Aiden Kemora chipped in two blocks for the Statesmen.

COACHES CORNER:

"Today's win is a defining moment for our program," said Head Coach Steve England. "We battled through a lot of adversity the last two weeks. I am so proud of the character of this team. Go Hobart!"

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Friday, March 14, when it travels to Rochester, New York, for another crucial conference matchup at No. 13 St. John Fisher. Action between the Statesmen and the Cardinals is set for 6 p.m. in Manning & Napier Varsity Gym.