Men's volleyball improves to 10-10 overall with two victories during break

Men's volleyball has a record of 10-10, an impressive mark given all that the team has been through this season. After 20 hard-fought games the Tigers have scraped and clawed their way to the .500 mark despite injuries, inexperience and a lack of depth.

The Tigers went 2-1 over break with wins over Mercyhurst and St. Francis and a loss to league rival George Mason. Princeton fared slightly better against the Patriots this time around, avoiding the sweep.

Princeton could have thrown in the towel at any point this season but did not. Instead, the Tigers have chosen to ignore all the setbacks of this season and play each game as if it were their last.

Above all else, men's volleyball has had fun this year, something a lot of teams take for granted. Whether ahead by a little or trailing by a lot, Princeton always appears to be in good spirits.

Although the Tigers are fierce competitors on the court they also realize that there is more to volleyball than just wins and losses. This explains why men's volleyball has enjoyed success during a season in which, at times, the deck seemed to be stacked against it.

With five games left in the regular season, Princeton appears to be gaining momentum after going 2-1 over the break. The Tigers defeated St. Francis for the second time on Mar. 15, though in a less convincing fashion.

Princeton claimed a 3-2 victory on the road over a much-improved St. Francis team after sweeping it about a month ago.

On March 16, Princeton faced Mercyhurst at Loretto, Pa. in DeGol Arena. The Lakers are weathering a terrible season and, as expected, did not give the Tigers much trouble. Princeton swept Mercyhurst 3-0 (30-21, 30-23, 30-24), dropping the Lakers to 4-14 for the year.

The Tigers were paced by freshman outside hitter Blake Robinson's match-high 12 kills and five digs. Junior opposite Dennis Alshuler, recently back from injury, added 11 more kills and recorded three digs for Princeton, while senior middle hitter Scott Dore had a match-high seven digs to go along with his eight kills.

The Tigers' last game over break was on Mar. 19 against conference foe George Mason. The Patriots had previously defeated Princeton 3-0 back in mid-February.

Once again George Mason defeated the Tigers with its potent attack, but this time it took four games.Early on in the first game Princeton fell behind 8-1 but managed to cut the Patriots' lead to 10-5 after a kill by Robinson. The Tigers were unable to get any closer than five points as George Mason cruised to a 30-17 victory in only fifteen minutes.

The second game was much closer, in part due to the Patriots' inconsistent serving. George Mason gave Princeton five of its first six points as a result of errors, allowing the Tigers to eventually take a 12-11 lead. Princeton seemed in control until the Patriots made a run to regain the lead at 14-12. George Mason never looked back after regaining its lead en route to a 30-26 victory.

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After dropping the first two games the Tigers roared back to life by stunning the Patriots 30-23. Though George Mason was ahead 12-8 at one point, consecutive aces by Dore sparked a 7-0 Princeton run, giving the Tigers a commanding lead they would not surrender.

However, the Patriots dominated the fourth game, winning 30-22. Princeton never really threatened George Mason in the latter part of the game as the Patriots used a 5-0 run to build a 20-13 lead before closing out the series, regaining their form from the first two games.

Freshman outside hitter Ryn Burns and Robinson had 12 kills each for the Tigers, while Dore added 11 kills with a team-high four blocks.

Although Princeton was disappointed with the loss, the team remains optimistic about its chances against George Mason in the future.

"We definitely have a chance to beat a team like George Mason in the playoffs" Dore said. "They've lost only one league match this season [to Penn State] and obviously have some very talented players, but they are beatable. It would take our best effort of the year, but it is possible. For now, we are concerned with our remaining five league games."