WVB2-28-01

ESU-Vassar Men's Volleyball

EAST STROUDSBURG - David Paine lived up his name as he helped Vassar College hand East Stroudsburg University a painful Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Hay Division defeat, 30-26, 30-22, 28-30, 19-30, 15-12, in the Koehler Fieldhouse Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Warriors fell to 4-4 in the division and 6-5 overall. Vassar is now 8-7 overall and 3-4 in EIVA play. ESU had won the first meeting between the two teams, 3-0, earlier in the month.

Paine dominated the first two games with 11 kills in 12 attempts as the Brewers rolled to a 2-0 lead. ESU roared back on the play of Tom Shaver and Jason Hartzel to win the next two games and tie the match at 2-2.

Then in the fifth game with the score tied at 10, Paine stuffed a shot between two blockers to put Vassar ahead for keeps, 10-9. Two ESU errors made it 12-9 before the Warriors cut the margin to one point at 12-11 with Shaver making a key spike. But Paine had a pair of kills for the 13th and 14th points and Mike Gevertz put the game-winning 15th point away off a pair of blockers.

Shaver was the leader for the Warriors with 12 kills in 17 attempts and only one error for a .647 hitting average. He is one of the nation's leading hitters with a season .475 average. He also made two service aces and three block.

Hartzel had a team high 17 kills while Mike Messinger added 12 kills and 15 digs. Chris James made 56 assists.

Paine finished with 17 kills and six blocks, almost all in the team's three winning games.

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