NEW YORK, N.Y.—Graduate student Andrew Kim's match-high 21 kills led the 16th-ranked Hobart volleyball team as it fell 3-0 in the UVC quarterfinals to No. 9 Vassar this evening. With the loss, the Statesmen concludes their season at 20-9, while the Brewers improve to 22-5 and advance to the UVC semifinals against second-seeded Nazareth tomorrow.

The quarterfinal matchup between Hobart and Vassar saw the Brewers hold a 37-30 edge in kills over the Statesmen as well as a 34-29 advantage in assists. Vassar hit .315 in the sweep, while Hobart hit .150 through three sets. The Brewers impressed from the service line, tallying 10 service aces compared to the Statesmen's two and also came up big at the net, combining for 14 blocks as a team.

Kim's 21 kills (.381) led Hobart in the loss. He added nine digs, one serve ace and one assist against the Brewers. Sophomore Daniel Sappia and first-year Alain Malcolm chipped in three kills each in the setback and combined for five digs and two blocks. Graduate student Benjamin Lincoln and sophomore Zack Farren led the Statesmen from the setter position, tallying 14 and 10 assists each, respectively. The duo combined for 11 digs, one block and one kill in the loss.

Vassar was led by Walter Birnbaum's 15 kills (.500), five blocks, four digs and one service ace. Tobias Clark chipped in eight kills (.273), six digs, four blocks and one assist in the sweep. Payne Lounsbery tallied a match-high 32 assists for the Brewers. He added six digs, two blocks and an ace in the win.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• The Brewers came out hot in the opening set, combining for 14 kills (.480) in the first set. Vassar added three blocks and three service aces to grab the early momentum. Kim led the Statesmen with seven kills in the opening set, but it wasn't enough as the Brewers closed out set one on top, 25-18.
• Hobart responded well in the second set, combining for 10 kills as a team and adding three blocks and two service aces in set two. The Statesmen grabbed the early momentum in the second set but were matched by a late Brewer push to tie the game up. Vassar's block stepped up big, combining for five blocks to sneak away with a 27-25 win in the second.
• Vassar jumped out to an early lead in the third set and never looked back. The Brewers combined for 12 kills (.440) compared to the Statesmen's eight (.143). The errors continued to plague Hobart as it tallied five hitting errors and six service errors in the must-win set. Vassar served up five aces in set three to close out the contest on top, 25-15.

MATCH STATS:

• Kim led the Statesmen with 21 kills, hitting .381 through three sets. Sappia and Malcolm chipped in three kills each in the loss.
• Lincoln and Farren led Hobart from the setter position, tallying 14 and 10 assists each, respectively. The duo combined for 11 digs, one block and one kill as well.
• The Statesmen combined for 38 digs as a team and were led by Kim with nine. Lincoln chipped in eight digs, while sophomore Noah DeLong added seven in the setback.
• Hobart combined for three blocks in the loss and was led by first-year Alain Malcolm with two. Lincoln and first-year Kian Kischke added one each against the Brewers.

COACHES CORNER:

"It was an unfortunate ending to an amazing second season," said Head Coach Steve England. "It was the first 20 win season in program history. We learned what it is like to battle through adversity and come together as a team. I am proud of the way we handled this season and the lessons we learned along the way. We were so lucky to have Andrew Kim and Benjamin Lincoln grace us with their talents. Even though they were here for a short time, their influence on the program will forever be remembered. We thank both of them for all the time they have invested in making us better."