Technological advancements have clearly benefited everyone's life. Hence, technology students, the brain behind these improvements, make all of our lives easier — in more ways than one.
On Sunday night against the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the men's volleybal team proved this fact, making easy work of NJIT (0-4 overall), 3-0.
Slow out of the gates
Playing a team that finished with an overall record of 1-22 last season and that competes in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association in a lower division, the Tigers seemed certain to win. Unfortunately, the road to greatness is never without a few potholes. Just to keep things interesting, lowly NJIT began the match by racking up four straight points.
"They surprised us in the beginning and came out pretty strong," sophomore middle hitter Sean Vitousek said. "Once we settled down and played our game, though, we were alright."
Taking control
Alright is something of an understatement, as the beginning of the first game was the only point when the outcome in the match seemed remotely in doubt. Princeton (2-3) eventually recovered its footing in the first game, pulling away to defeat the Highlanders, 30-21.
The second game confirmed the Tigers' dominance as the team raced to an 11-1 lead before downing NJIT by a score of 30-14.
Princeton's newfound status as a team with a tall front line served it well as the Tigers were presented with match-ups that they could exploit, a rare advantage for the squad in recent years.
"They [the Highlanders] were pretty weak in the middle, so we just kept going there all night," senior outside hitter Dennis Alshuler said.
That translated into an impressive demonstration by the youthful Tiger big men, as six foot, eight inch freshman middle hitter Brian Hamming in particular had a breakout performance.
Alshuler led the way, demonstrating why he's the captain with 17 kills and a brilliant .800 hitting percentage. Setter and fellow captain junior Jason Liljestrom also had a field day, dishing out 49 assists over the three games.
Princeton ensured there were only three games by capitalizing on an early 25-17 lead to take the final game, 30-26, and complete the victory with a hitting percentage of .427 on the day.
Gaining experience
This match gave coach Glenn Nelson an opportunity that he was not offered against the national powerhouses the team took on at the beginning of the year.
"We were able to rotate all the time and really give the new guys a shot," Vitousek said.
This was a welcome occurrence, as lack of experience could end up being a major issue for a squad that features only three upperclassmen and a whopping five freshmen on its eleven-man roster.
For this reason, the apparent cakewalk of Sunday night may actually have been Princeton's most important contest yet. The NJIT game came at exactly the right time, following a tough season-opening road trip through California where the team faced off with UC-Irvine, the top-ranked team in the nation.
Although that trip and a few moments on Sunday demonstrated that the team's defense still needs work, Princeton has also learned what it does well. But even more importantly, the Tigers have learned what it takes to dominate a game.
Looking ahead
These lessons will come in handy when the Tigers travel to Loretto, PA on Friday for the annual St. Francis tournament.
Although the games should prove competitive, the greatest challenge will take place on Sunday afternoon. After the St. Francis tourney Princeton journeys to take on Juniata, its first EIVA upper-division opponent of the season. These two teams are typically evenly-matched, and the Tigers' demolition of the Eagles in their last match-up left Juniata hungry for revenge.
The Eagles are led by a large crop of returning seniors, so Princeton's young talent will need to call on every minute of experience it has gained. A victory on Sunday would be the perfect way to set the tone for the season.
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