Fourth-Set Comeback Lifts Blazers To Win At No. 10 Vassar

Fourth-Set Comeback Lifts Blazers To Win At No. 10 Vassar

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Elms College men's volleyball team completed an improbable fourth-set comeback to pick up a 3-1 win at No. 10 Vassar College on Tuesday night.

With Elms leading the match 2-1 overall but trailing 16-7 in the fourth set it appeared the Blazers and Brewers were destined to go the distance. But Elms rallied for five straight points to cut the deficit to 16-12 and get back into the set. The Blazers cut the Vassar (9-6) lead to just three at 18-15 and got within two at 20-18.

After trailing 23-21, Elms rallied for four consecutive points, capped by back-to-back kills from Jovanny Torres, to steal the 25-23 fourth-set victory and the 3-1 win.

The fourth-set comeback epitomized the evening for Elms. The Blazers fell behind in the match 1-0 after Vassar opened with a 25-21 first-set win before rallying to win three straight sets, 25-22, 25-21 and the 25-23 fourth-set win to win the match.

Jeremy Torres (Juncos, P.R.) led Elms with 17 kills and added six digs in the match. Martin Acevedo (Carolina, P.R.) added 12 kills and hit .391 for the Blazers while Gabriel Levy (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) finished with nine kills and three total blocks. John Dunphy (Farmington, Conn.) picked up 29 assists in the contest while Jovanny Torres (Juncos, P.R.) finished with a 19-assist, 11-dig double-double and added six kills.

Elms hit .266 for the match and held Vassar to a .226 clip. The Blazers finished with a 10.0-5.0 advantage in blocks and held a slim, 43-41, edge in digs.

Matt Knigge racked up a game-high 27 kills for Vassar while Zechariah Lee dished out 547 assists for the Brewers.

The win is the third straight for Elms and the sixth in the Blazers' last seven contests. Elms returns to action at Endicott on March 3 before returning home for three consecutive contests, beginning with Newbury on March 13.