Concordia delivers improving men's volleyball a tough setback

Only the immortal exclamation of Homer Simpson can describe how men's volleyball felt after its loss to Concordia Wednesday night —"Doh!"

After taking the first two games from the Clippers, the Tigers proceeded to lose the final three, falling 15-11 in the the deciding tiebreaker and dropping to 12-11 on the year.

Princeton found itself on the brink of victory during the third game, but was unable to seal the deal against a determined Concordia team. The Clippers rallied to win the third match 30-28, shifting the entire momentum of the match.

Up until that point the Tigers had dominated the Clippers, effectively silencing the home crowd. Princeton railroaded Concordia in the first game, 30-19, by disrupting the Clipper offense at just about every turn. Concordia never got into a rhythm from a defensive standpoint either, but all this started to change in the second frame.

Although the Tigers edged the Clippers by a score of 30-26, it became clear that Concordia did not intend to just roll over and die. In fact, the Clippers did just the opposite. Concordia started mounting a remarkable comeback, seemingly adjusting to Princeton's tactics that had worked so well thus far.

One of the keys to any road victory is not allowing the crowd to become a factor. In the first game and part of the second the Tigers had accomplished this goal. The end of the second game, though, gave both the Clipper players and fans a glimmer of hope.

The third game marked the beginning of what would turn into a very long and painful night for men's volleyball. Though Concordia narrowly managed to fight off a sweep in game three, there was cause for concern for Princeton.

The Clippers were getting stronger with each game, and gaining more confidence with every kill they managed to put away. Now it was the Tigers' turn to feel the heat, as Concordia began to chip away at the two-game lead Princeton had amassed.

In the fourth game the Tigers no longer had cause for concern, but a reason to panic after the Clippers drummed them 30-19. Ironically, this was the same score as the first game, only this time it was the home team that was in clear control of the match.

At this point, all the Tigers could do was put it behind them and focus on winning the tiebreaker. However, Concordia was moving in for the kill, hoping to do what Princeton had failed to accomplish in games three and four.

As if given new life by warding off a sweep and evening the series at two games each, the Clippers strung together enough points to post a comfortable 15-11 victory in the deciding game.

The outcome was truly heartbreaking for the Tigers, but only a minor setback in the grand scheme of things. Princeton has played well over the final half of the season, especially since the return of two injured starters.

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Unquestionably, the Tigers are a much better team than they were two months ago, as evidenced by the improvements they've made since their 3-1 home loss to Concordia on Feb. 14.

"Everyone has been playing well lately," senior middle hitter Scott Dore said. "We're missing fewer serves, passing well and keeping the pressure on our opponents for the entire match. I attribute it to more experience, more confidence, and more competitive practices."