POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Following yesterday's exciting first-round match, the Southern Virginia University Men's Volleyball team (18-3) prepares to take on the nation's number-one ranked team, Vassar (25-1), in the quarterfinals Saturday evening.

Vassar reached the quarterfinal match after defeating Baruch 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-21) in the second first-round match yesterday. The victory extended its win streak to 24—the nation's longest—after dropping the season's second game against No. 4 Stevens for its only loss of the campaign.

The Brewers reached the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll's top spot in week 14 after defeating No. 1 Stevens in a five-set thriller in the rematch on April 6. The team notched its ninth triumph over a ranked opponent after defeating No. 5 Messiah just two days later.

Following an undefeated United Volleyball Conference (UVC) record in the regular season, Vassar hosted the conference tournament and cruised to a 3-0 victory over St. John Fisher in the final to secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and its second UVC championship in three years.

On the other hand, Southern Virginia reached the tournament after receiving an at-large bid following the defeat in the Continental Volleyball Conference's semifinal matchup against Rutgers-Newark.

The Brewers lead the country in assists/set (12.41), blocks/set (2.43), hitting percentage (.365), and sit at second in kills/set (13.19). Conversely, the Knights have been exceptional at limiting opposing offenses, holding the nation's top spot in opponent hitting percentage with .087.

The matchup will also feature many stars, with six players receiving All-Region nods, three for Southern Virginia in the East Region (Justin Madsen, Christian and Tyler Sheaffer) and three from Vassar in the North Region, including the region Player of the Year, senior outside Andrew Kim. Vassar Head Coach, Richard Gary, was also honored with the Region Coach of the Year award.

Andrew Kim's 3.88 kills/set places him in the top 10 in Division III, two spots behind Southern Virginia's Christian Sheaffer, who sits in eighth among all players with 3.96 kills/set.

Both teams feature outstanding setters, with Vassar's Jacob Kim and Southern Virginia's Tyler Sheaffer ranking inside the top five in assists/set, with Kim second with 10.35 and Sheaffer registering 9.89.

Another position to watch is the middle blockers, with the squads possessing multiple talented players. The Brewers' Tristian Christofferson and Gavin van Beveren both tally over a block per set and will be tasked with shutting down the Knight's offense, including middles Kristo Bianchin and McKay Walker, who were outstanding in the first-round match against Springfield, combining for 23 kills. Van Beveren also impressed in his first-round match, recording four kills on six swings for a .667 hitting percentage. The senior currently leads all Division III players with a .545 hitting percentage.

The Knights must clean up the serve after amassing 54 errors in the past two matches after 26 yesterday. "We got complacent with our serves after the first set where we only had three errors, and that led to Springfield's comeback yesterday," exclaimed Tyler Sheaffer after yesterday's match. "Staying focused on what we need to do and not getting complacent will help us be successful against Vassar."

"Vassar is such a good team, and the whole team is dangerous," Head Coach Tom Peterson declared. "We will try and pick out a few things we can do to throw them off their game plan, but if we stick to our system and execute, we will be in a position to win."

"It's going to be a tough match, but if we pick out their tendencies and key in on those, we can be successful," added Christian Sheaffer.

"We just have to play and play hard," concluded Tyler Sheaffer. "Regardless of the strategy we will develop, we just have to play our game and make them adjust to us.

To follow along with the action and for all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's volleyball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.