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Women's Volleyball claims outright Ivy League title

After a remarkable comeback against Cornell in the fifth set, the women’s volleyball team has earned the outright Ivy League title and a bid to the NCAA tournament. This title marks Princeton’s 17th Ivy League championship and their first back-to-back victory since 1999-2000.

The victory is made even sweeter by the Tigers’ NCAA bid. Despite sharing the title with Harvard last season, the Princeton squad was edged out by the Crimson in their NCAA playoff match. However, in spite of this disappointment, the Orange and Black came back even more determined. The Tigers won 13 of their 14 games in the Ivy League conference, claiming the top spot in the Ancient Eight.

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The Princeton team hosted Cornell and Columbia this Friday and Saturday. The Tigers had swept Big Red in their previous encounter, but this game proved to be a tightly contested match.

Princeton struck the first blow, winning the first set, 25-18. However, Cornell would quickly rebound to pull the match back to one set apiece. Both teams would then trade blows until the fifth set. Big Red started strong, claiming a strong 5-0 lead. The Tigers then showed the resilience they’ve showed showed all season, starting a 15-5 run that won them the match and the Ivy League title.

Co-captain senior Cara Mattaliano led the offensive effort with 21 kills. Freshman Maggie O’Connell added 13 kills to the effort and her classmate Devon Peterkin contributed 11 kills and 14 digs to the Princeton effort. Sophomore Caroline Sklaver also gave a standout performance in this crucial match, posting 12 kills in the comeback victory.

Soon afterwards, the Tigers learned that Harvard had finished a comeback of their own against Yale. This put the Bulldogs out of the Ivy League title race. The Tigers had repeated back-to-back titles and earned their first NCAA bid since 2007.

Despite already securing the top spot in the Ivy League, the Tigers returned to Dillon Gym, prepared and motivated, to face Columbia in their final match of the season. The Lions built a strong lead in the first set, leading the Tigers 18-13 at one point. However, the Princeton squad would surge back to edge out Columbia in a tight first set. The Tigers won the next two sets comfortably, 25-17 and 25-18, sweeping the Lions.

Mattaliano led all Tigers with 17 kills, moving her into the 1100-kill list. [???]

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While the game held little consequence for the season, a win was the perfect way to sendoff the seniors at their last home match. However, the team still faces plenty ahead of them as they look forward to the NCAA championships.

The Tigers will learn about their NCAA destination on Sunday, Nov. 27, with their first game starting the following week.

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