Men's volleyball drops final home contest to Penn State

For fans of Princeton men's volleyball, the beginning of Saturday's match against Penn State was a live-action version of the classic David and Goliath tale.

Taking on the No. 12 team in the nation, the Tigers stepped onto center court in Dillon Gym with sling in hand, knocking the more powerful Nittany Lions to the ground in the first two games, 30-25, 30-23.

Unfortunately for Princeton, however, Penn State (21-7 overall, 13-1 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) proved more resilient than the famed biblical giant and revived in the last three games to defeat the Tigers in the end.

"It just shows that we can play with anyone, even the biggest teams," senior captain and outside hitter Steve Cooper said.

Princeton jumped out to an early lead in the first game, finding itself up, 15-12, at the midway point. Though Penn State was a more physically powerful team, the Tigers rose to the Nittany Lions' level of play and were able to maintain control of the ball. With a somewhat comfortable lead at 28-23, Princeton fell victim to a controversial net call that gave the Nittany Lions a chance to come back.

But, as the familiar volleyball credo goes — "the ball never lies" — and justice was done as Penn State missed its next two serves, handing the game to the Tigers.

Princeton carried its momentum into the second game, as it climbed to a 20-17 lead before the Nittany Lions called a time-out to regroup. Unfazed by the game break, however, the Tigers would continue on to victory behind the aggressive and consistent hitting of senior outside Blair Anderson and sophomore opposite Dennis Alshuler, as well as controlled passing from Anderson and senior defender Kevin Roche.

In addition to the Tigers' steady offensive and defensive play, repeated Penn State hitting and service errors also gave Princeton the advantage it needed to take the game.

Shocked at having been trampled in the first two games, the Nittany Lions returned with a vengeance in the third, taking off on an early seven-point run, upon which they would build to extend to a 21-12 lead. Unable to rekindle the spark that had carried them earlier, the Tigers struggled to control the ball on defense and to hit past the Penn State block.

"It was really a combination of us being a little too elated that we won the first game and Penn State picking it up," assistant coach and former volleyball player Pablo Clarke '00 said. "We lost our focus and our concentration, and that cost us in the end."

Up 2-1, the Tigers still had the match advantage going into the fourth game. After a series of long, intense rallies, Penn State held a slim lead at 17-15. However, a tool off the Princeton block would give the Nittany Lions the boost they needed to go on a 10-point run before the Tigers could respond with a sideout. The Princeton effort proved too little, too late, however, as Penn State finished off with two consecutive cross court kills for the game.

Discouraged by the loss, the Tigers failed to compose themselves in the last game, allowing the Nittany Lions to jump to an 8-1 lead. Lacking the consistency and determination that had carried it through the first two games, Princeton was out-matched by Penn State, which claimed the 3-2 victory on a service ace.

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"We've had some trouble finishing games," freshman setter Jason Liljestrom said. "And that's what happened here. It was the best we've played in a while, which is good because we're going into the playoffs next weekend. Tough that we couldn't pull through in the end, though."

Setting up a varied Tiger offense, Liljestrom tallied 34 assists in the five-game defeat. Alshuler led the attack with 18 kills, followed by Cooper with nine. Junior Scott Dore also proved to be a powerful offensive force, recording a .583 hitting average for seven kills and earning five blocks. Defensively, Princeton was led by Anderson and Roche, who contributed nine digs and seven digs, respectively.

In addition to marking the end of their regular season play, the match was also the last collegiate home game for the four Princeton seniors — Anderson, Cooper, Roche and middle Ryan Black. The Tigers — who finished with a 7-12 record overall, 5-9 in league — now look ahead to the first round of NCAA playoffs Friday, when they will travel to Fairfax, Va., to face George Mason University (19-6, 11-3 EIVA), which has already beaten Princeton twice this season.

"After our first games against Penn State, we know that we can compete with anyone," Cooper said. "The rest of the season doesn't matter once you're in the playoffs."