California trip starts men's volleyball with a 1-3 record

Traveling to California last week for its annual trial-by-sunshine, the men's volleyball players had a hard time fitting into their airplane seats and an even harder time winning.

Facing the likes of No. 1 University of California-Irvine and No. 15 UC-San Diego, Princeton featured its tallest lineup ever — ranging from 6'8" freshman middle Brian Hamming to no one shorter than 6'3" sophomore outside Ryn Burns — and endured four matches and only one win in four days.

Princeton's three losses suggest that what the Tigers have gained in size and potential they still lack in experience.

"It's a tough situation for us because we have to start the season after exams," coach Glenn Nelson said, who saw all six starters on the same court for the first time during the national anthem at LaVerne.

With fans who honored Old Nassau by dressing like wayward extras from "A Beautiful Mind" — replete with tweed, too-short ties, pleated skirts and knee socks — the Leopards demonstrated a stronger grasp of game theory in their 28-30, 30-24, 27-30, 30-26, 15-12 win last Monday.

Against LaVerne, ranked third in Division III, Princeton created its own problems with erratic passing, a limited middle attack and tragic defense.

Senior opposite and captain Dennis Alshuler posted 22 kills and hit .390, while sophomore outside Blake Robinson struggled en route to only 20 kills on 53 attempts.

After its two-hour battle with LaVerne, Princeton almost had to worry more about surviving than winning Tuesday against an Irvine team defending, for the first time in the program's history, the top spot in the national poll.

Irvine was the Tigers' first match against a top-ranked opponent since their 1998 National Collegiate Athletic Association semifinal loss to Pepperdine.

But with three Tiger starters from Orange County playing in front of family, friends and alumni, Princeton battled successfully to take a game in a 19-30, 21-30, 30-22, 19-30 loss.

The Tigers played a far more settled match and, though the scores indicate otherwise, hung with the Anteaters through the first half of each game. On any number of points Princeton nailed passes, dug Anteater hits and challenged the Irvine defense.

As a result, Liljestrom ran a more balanced attack but still relied on Robinson and Alshuler, who swung for 66 of the Tigers' 110 attacks.

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Consistent serving, including tough jumpers by Alshuler, helped the Tigers build their lead midway through the game. Even the reentry of Irvine's starting setter could not prevent the Tigers from making the match more than a blowout.

Though Princeton outdug Irvine, 31-27, Irvine still outhit the Tigers and dominated at the net, where the far-quicker Anteaters roofed the Tigers off the court, 14-4.

Ranked team

Wednesday's match at San Diego could have offered Princeton its first win against a ranked team in years. Yet from the first serve Princeton faltered constantly, losing 20-30, 25-30, and 28-30.

The Tigers gave the Tritons a 56-40 advantage in kills and a .445 hitting percentage while their lacking defense dug only 11 attacks and blocked five.

The middle attack provided Princeton's only bright spot at UCSD. Hamming led Princeton with 11 kills while sophomore Sean Vitousek hit .667 with no errors.

But even so, neither middle showed his full blocking potential.

"I have to work harder," said Nelson. "(The middles) don't know stuff that I think they know. That's become obvious."

The trip ended with a bright spot at Hope International. The Tigers posted their lone victory there in four games, closing out the week with a dominant display that bodes well for the season ahead.

Princeton is practicing this week and will not play until Sunday at NJ Tech.