After claiming its 11th Ivy League title with a decisive victory over Harvard in last year's championship match, women's volleyball has plans to bring home a 12th. And from the way it looks so far, it is already well on its way.
After crushing LaSalle 3-0 in Saturday's finals of the Brown Volleyball Invitational, Princeton emerged as the undefeated champion of the tournament and improved its overall record to 5-1 on the season.
Based upon this strong performance, head coach Glenn Nelson seems very optimistic about the coming year.
"After beating three scholarship schools this past weekend, as well as Big East scholarship school St. John's last week, this team has potential for greatness," Nelson said.
Though the Tigers do not begin Ivy League play for another two weeks, they have already set their sights on another conference title.
"Its always up in the air," Nelson said. "Harvard and Brown are consistently strong, and Penn and Cornell should be tough this year, too."
Regardless of the competition, defending champion Princeton is confident that it is ready for battle.
Ready to roll
Despite the departure of two key players to graduation — setter Melissa Ford '00 and hitter Erika Hansen '00 — and the loss of junior middle Alexis Collins to a shoulder injury, the Tigers are clearly set for success this season.
Led by senior captains Sabrina King and Emily Brown, Princeton will return four starters from last year's squad and add five new faces to an already talented lineup.
King — hailed by Nelson as one of the "smartest hitters ever to play at Princeton" — was honored as last year's Ivy League Most Valuable Player and will be joined on the left by sophomore standout Michelle Buffum and on the right by dynamic freshman Kellie Cram. The Tigers will also look for important contributions from sophomore outside Anne Ziegler — a powerful server and strong defender — and freshman outside Thais de Melo, who brings power to the left.
Brown, who earned a spot on the All-Ivy Tournament team for her stellar performance last year, will be joined in the middle by six foot, four inch sophomore Abby Studer. "Abby keeps getting better every day, and Emily has just been solid in every match," Nelson said. "She has yet to play a bad game."
Sophomore middle Sylvana Soto-Ward will also provide Princeton with much-needed height and depth at the net.
Can you dig it?
Defensively, the Tigers are led by the solid play of a group of talented backrow specialists. Junior Martha Moore will be joined in the back by freshman Kerry Song and sophomore McCoy Klink — who is returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
With a solid defense and group of talented hitters, Princeton will look to junior Ana Yoerg to pace the attack as she takes over as the Tigers' new starting setter. Freshman setter Marissa Becker should also chip in with solid passing, serving and defense on the court.
With all the pieces in place, Princeton appears ready to dominate this season. Nelson foresees great things from this Tiger squad, which he calls his "biggest and most physical team ever."
Princeton's only potential weakness could be its lack of vocal leadership on the court.
"We don't have any maniacs out there," Nelson said. "We have to work hard at talking each other up and staying motivated — not letting any team shut us down."
Having won four straight games and last weekend's Brown Volleyball Invitational title, the Tigers now look to continue their winning ways in two important matches against Rutgers Friday and Saturday.
"Everyone has been working hard this season," King said. "We have a strong returning squad and the babyheads bring a lot of talent to the court. If we keep playing solid and working together, nothing is going to stop us."
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