Men's volleyball splits first two league matches, looks to GMU

In its first Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association action of the year, the men's volleyball team knocked off rival Juniata College before losing to national powerhouse Penn State.

The five-set (28-30, 30-27, 36-38, 30-24, 15-10) win was the Tigers' first win over Juniata in their last four matches.

"Juniata's a team that's on the same level as us but for some reason we've always lost to them," senior captain Scott Dore said. "It's usually a really good match and last year at home we won the first two games but then lost the last three."

The match included a 38-36 third game that went in Juniata's favor. The game could have broken Princeton's hopes, but the Tigers came back and won the last two games to claim the victory.

"The third game in a five game match is the pivotal game," Dore said. "Whoever wins that usually wins the match and that was a marathon of a game. After that third game I thought we had a really good chance to fold and lose in four games, but we came out strong and beat them pretty convincingly and the same thing happened in the fifth game too."

The Tigers were led by freshman Blake Robinson, who had 24 kills and 10 digs, and sophomore Jason Liljestrom, who recorded 50 of the team's 59 sets. Freshman Ryn Burns chipped in with 12 kills.

"It's really difficult to win if your outside hitters aren't playing well," Dore said, "and both our outside hitters are freshmen so that could have been a major problem for us, but both Ryn and Blake played really well in the Juniata match, not only hitting but passing as well."

Robinson, Liljestrom and Burns are each key contributors to the team. The main question is whether or not the young players can keep it up for the rest of the year.

"The major factor in terms of younger players is confidence," Dore said. "Once we get a few matches under our belt, that confidence will be there."

In the Penn State match, Princeton simply had difficulty staying with a superior opponent. The Nittany Lions swept the Tigers in three games (30-12, 30-24, and 30-25).

"They were awesome last year and they have all their starters back," Dore said. "They're the No. 5 team in the nation and they play like it."

Robinson and Liljestrom again led Princeton with 12 kills and 32 sets, respectively. Junior opposite Dennis Alshuler finished with 12 kills as well.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"There are some other strong teams that could take a game or two off of them, but in a five-game match I'd be surprised if they lost one match this year in our conference," Dore said.

Like Princeton, Penn State has also played some tough West Coast schools. The Nittany Lions were able to prevail against Stanford, ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time.

The upcoming test for Princeton will be whether or not it can keep beating the teams on its level, like Juniata. The Tigers have generally been able to beat the teams below them but have had trouble in recent years with teams at about the same skill level.

"It's those middle-of-the-road teams that we have trouble with and that's exactly what this match was," Dore said. "I think that sets a tone for the rest of our league matches."

According to Dore, these first four league matches are the most important, not only because it is necessary to start the year on a good note, but also because these are the teams that Princeton needs to beat to be considered one of the best teams in the EIVA. The Tigers' next match is against Concordia, followed by a match against George Mason on Saturday.

George Mason knocked Princeton out of the EIVA Tournament last year and have already been beaten by Penn State this year. A victory would be crucial for Princeton's momentum.

Overall, Princeton should be satisfied with its split on the road. However, it remains to be seen if the Juniata win can translate into future victories in tight matches for the Tigers.