Tigers look to defend Ivy League title

Change — it's a fact of life.

In the world of college sports, it's a given that the beginning of a new season always involves change. Key players graduate. New recruits fill in the gaps. Team chemistry takes on a whole new blend. These changes are obstacles every team must overcome, regardless of the sport, if it is to prove successful in the end.

It is not every team, however, that must adapt to both a new lineup and an entirely new set of groundrules at the outset of the season. The women's volleyball team, however, looks ready to overcome the obstacles and make a run at its 13th league title this season.

"We're going to be good, I mean really good," senior captain Ana Yoerg said. "It's going to be a challenge, but we're ready for the big changes this season."

What are some of these changes in the world of women's collegiate volleyball? For one, games are no longer first to score 15 points, but rather first to 30. Points are no longer earned on a service only, but instead on a rally-score basis. Also, a serve that skims the net is no longer an automatic sideout, but is now considered fair play, and strategic play at that. In other words, it's a whole new ballgame.

"We have to change with the times," head coach Glenn Nelson said, "or else we'll become dinosaurs. And the one thing we don't want to be is dinosaurs."

Not only must the Tigers adapt to these new NCAA-implemented rules of play, but they must also take into account major changes in the format of the Ivy League season. No longer does the league title and automatic NCAA berth go to the winner of the Ivy Tournament, but rather to the team that finishes with the best league record, the standard format for the majority of other national conferences.

"Playing each team twice during the regular season instead of having the Ivy Tournament puts a whole new spin on league standings," Yoerg said. "There's a lot more pressure to win every game, so it's going to be a really competitive season. With the new rules, it's all about who can make the least amount of errors and every point counts."

Along with getting accustomed to the new groundrules, Princeton must also get used to an inevitably new lineup. Having graduated outside hitter Sabrina King '01 and middle blocker Emily Brown '01 —two of the key players on last year's Ivy League champion squad — the Tigers return five starters and will look to a solid freshman lineup for additional strength on the court. The young Princeton team will certainly rely heavily on the experience and leadership of Yoerg, who returns as the starting setter and only senior.

Juniors Abby Studer and Michelle Buffum and sophomores Kellie Cramm and Kerry Song join Yoerg as the core of returning starters this season. Offensively, the Tigers are sure to have a powerful attack, thanks to the talent and strength of ouside hitters Buffum on the right and Cramm on the left. Both hitters recently received all-tournament honors at the Saint John's University Classic, after helping lead Princeton to the championship match last Saturday.

"Buffum and Cramm are crucial on and off the court," Yoerg said. "They are both very mentally tough, take-care-of-business girls and that is going to carry us through the long matches."

On the outside, Cramm — who was named last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year — is joined by freshmen Lauren Loban and Ashley Webber, as well as sophomore newcomer Dale Maffet.

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In the middle, the Tigers are sure to have a solid block and powerful attack, thanks the height and talentthat Studer and freshman Alex Brown bring to the net. Studer has already proven herself as a dominant offensive force, whose attack gets stronger with every game. Studer's power, coupled with Brown's quick and accurate hitting is sure to be a strength of the Princeton offense.

"Abby's coming on strong. At the first tournamet we were not together on the middle atttack," Nelson said. But right now the middles are doing a lot of damage."

Rounding out the Tiger lineup are defensive specialists Song and sophomore Marissa Becker, who will cover the backcourt for Studer and Brown.

"Kerry's wicked serve will take us really far, as will her great passing," Yoerg said. "We all appreciate her willingness to sacrifice her body for the good of the team. And, Becker, finding new inspiration from other members of the volleyball program, has stepped right into the role of defensive specialist and dominates the backrow."

The Tigers are currently 2-1 on the season, after sweeping Vermont and Fairleigh Dickinson in three games each at the SJU Classic last weekend. Princeton fell 3-2 in the finals to St. John's (6-1 overall). Despite the loss, however, the Tigers are optimistic about the season.

"We had a sweet game against St. John's, where we really showed that we'll be able to 'sustain,' even in the long tough matches," Yoerg said. "Mentally and emotionally the team is really mature, really tough, and that will be the deciding factor in long games like that, througout the season."

"It's going to be a tough season; we're playing one point at a time," Nelson said. "Certainly this is the deepest team we've had in a while, and we know we can be good when we're at full strength."

The Tigers will return to action this upcoming weekend at the Rider Invitational in Lawrenceville.