Men's Volleyball Falls to McKendree and George Mason

This Friday and Saturday, the men’s volleyball team hosted a double-header against McKendree and Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) rivals, George Mason. Princeton lost both matches at home, 0-3.

The Princeton squad played without senior outside hitter Devin Stearns in their match against McKendree. This loss proved to be crucial, as the Tigers hotly contested McKendree in all three sets, narrowly falling short in each one.

In spite of the loss, the match was much closer than the score would indicate. In the first set, the Princeton squad tied with the Bobcats 12 times and experienced four lead changes. On the Princeton squad, junior setter Kurt Thiemann led the team with ten kills. Other contributions came from freshmen outside hitter Corry Short and sophomore outside hitter Kendall Ratter, who each added six kills. The Bobcats won the game 25-22, 25-20, 25-21.

Following there close loss, the Tigers faced another tough opponent in George Mason. Prior to the match, the Tigers ranked right above George Mason in conference play, making this face-off a crucial one for both teams. If Princeton won, they would improve their record in the EIVA, while a loss would tie them with George Mason.

The Patriots came out with a strong win in the first set, taking the lead with a 25-17 victory. However, the Tigers would show their resilience and resolve in the second set, fighting tooth and nail against George Mason. Indeed, Princeton held the lead 9-6 early in the set. Three straight points for the Patriots would tie the game and see George Mason take the lead, 11-10. Yet, Princeton would hang on to grab the lead again, 17-16 and 18-17. Over the course of the match, Princeton tied George Mason 15 times and had five lead changes.

Stearns led the offense on the Princeton side with six kills. Fellow senior Zach Shaw added five blocks and five digs to the Tiger effort. Junior Chris Kennedy had 18 assists and five blocks, while Thiemann made four kills and two blocks.

However, the Patriots would hang on to beat the Tigers in a heart-breaking win, 25-23. The momentum from this second set would give George Mason the confidence they needed to wrap up the game in the third and final match. They handily closed the deal with a 25-10 victory.

While the loss is undoubtedly a setback, the Tigers still have plenty of matches ahead of them as they look to qualify for the EIVA semi-finals. The Tigers have qualified for the semi-finals each year since 2012 and are undoubtedly looking to continue the streak this season.

Princeton will take a break from conference play during the next two weeks, but it will face two tough opponents in the form of Lewis and Loyola-Chicago. Both teams qualified for the NCAA tournament last season and will hopefully push the Tigers back into winning form.