Springfield finished the season ranked second in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III poll and often plays strong opponents close.
Against Princeton, however, it does not seem to have much success. Saturday was no different.
In the first round of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association playoffs at Dillon Gym, the third-seeded Tigers overpowered No. 6 seed Springfield in a 3-0 victory, 15-7, 15-13, 15-5. The straight-game win was the Tigers' second this year against Springfield and more of a relief than a surprise.
"(Springfield has) always played everyone else tougher," head coach Glenn Nelson said. "But they haven't taken a game off of us in four years."
Serious competition
Anything can happen in the playoffs, however, so if Princeton (14-8 overall, 7-1 EIVA) was to get a chance at avenging last year's playoff loss to Penn State, it first had to go through Springfield (15-10, 4-3). This meant keeping concentrated on the game at hand, in spite of the almost guaranteed win.
After a slow start where the Pride played them even to 5-5 in the first game, the Tigers demonstrated why they are the stronger team. Behind the serving of sophomore setter Jason Morrow, Princeton went on an 8-1 streak before putting the game away, 15-7. A strong defense anchored the run, as Springfield could hardly penetrate Princeton's blocking. Time and again, the Pride's attempted kills were stuffed at the net for easy Tiger points.
Slaughter
The third game was similar to the first in its momentum, with the Tigers grabbing an early lead and coasting into the finish. This time, the Tigers went on the 8-1 run to begin the game, then played consistently to reach the 15-5 mark.
"The first and third games were a good indication of what we can do," Nelson said. "We kept the block together; this forced them to hit around us, where either they hit it out or we can dig it."
The blocking seemed to be the key of the match, which was apparent from the score of the second game. This was Princeton's weakest stretch, and the only time in the match when Springfield consistently broke through the Tigers' blocks. The result was a close game where the Pride played even with Princeton to 10-10, but the Tigers managed to hold on, 15-13.
Mistakes
"We had too many errors," Nelson said. "There were a couple bad choices – instead of taking the smart choice, we took the obvious one."
Throughout the match, the offense was just as effective as the defense. As a team, the Tigers accumulated a .417 hitting percentage, almost double Springfield's .216.
Senior opposite Scott Birdwell was a large part of the offense, as he collected a match-high 16 kills and .448 hitting percentage. Senior outside Jeff Cooper and senior middle Derek Devens each contributed 12 kills apiece, while Morrow's 48 sets and 10 digs led the team.
Princeton now moves on to face second-seeded Penn State, who defeated Juniata, 3-1, this weekend. The Tigers and Nittany Lions spilt the season series, with Princeton most recently downing Penn State, 3-0, March 27. The duo will play Thursday night at Rutgers-Newark's Golden Dome, with the winner moving on to the EIVA championship game and a chance at a berth in the NCAA Final Four in Hawaii.
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