HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 18, 2018) – The No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team swept No. 7 Vassar College to complete a perfect UVC weekend on Sunday. Thomas Burrell hit .467 and led all players with six blocks, including two solo stops. Jacob Patterson led the team with nine digs, while David Lehman pounded out 14 kills.
 
Analysis
 
The Ducks leapt out to a 7-1 lead in the first and stretched it out to a 21-13 advantage to force the Brewers to call their second timeout. Though Vassar closed to within three points in the endgame, the outcome was never in doubt as the Ducks won 25-21.
 
In the second, Stevens fell behind 12-8 but rallied for four-straight points after a strategic timeout to knot the score. Burrell had two blocks in that run to fuel the comeback.
 
A Brewer TO to halt the momentum failed; Stevens scored two more in a row, including another Burrell block, to take its first lead. The Ducks extended their lead to five at 18-13, capping a 10-1 run for Stevens.
 
Vassar battled back to tie it at 21. From there, Dylan DeBoer put down two-straight to put Stevens in the driver's seat, but VC earned the next two to force deuce at 23-23.
 
Burrell earned a kill on the next point, but Vassar matched it to necessitate extra points. The set was tied at 23, 24 and 25 as the teams traded sideouts. Finally, Gabe Shankweiler gave Stevens set point #4. Freshman Ryan Byrne subbed in for the first time at 26-25 and promptly ripped an ace to deliver the victory.
 
The end of the third was highlighted by a lefty swing by Shankweiler and a solo block by Patterson on the same play for the Ducks' 22nd point, and Stevens held on for the 25-23 win and the sweep. The last set featured nine ties and three lead changes.
 
"We did a good job defensively today," said assistant coach Amable Martinez. "They're a good hitting team, and we held them under .200 (.171) for the match. Both of our middles did a great job blocking, and Tom Burrell had a great day hitting. We were facing an All-American on the other side (Matthew Knigge), and we did a good job of containing that threat."
 
Stats
 

• Patterson also led the team with 37 assists and hit .500
• Shankweiler finished with nine kills
• Stevens outhit the Brewers .255-.171

 
Up Next
The Ducks will travel across the Hudson next weekend to tangle with the Bearcats of Baruch College on Saturday at noon on Saturday.
 
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