There is an unwritten rule in the world of sports, and it goes like this: a goofy mascot does not make a powerhouse team. The Nads of the Rhode Island School of Design are an excellent example of this principle. RISD does not exactly strike fear into the hearts of its opponents, though its crowd has the benefit of a very distracting cheer ("Go Nads!"), Yet as the Stanford Cardinal has proven, a silly mascot does not necessarily prevent a team from winning. Thus, the Princeton men's volleyball squad faced the Violets of New York University Wednesday night with the utmost seriousness.
Wednesday's contest marked the team's third intra-division match of the year. This contest marked the tenth-straight away game Princeton has played this season, a fact that would wear on the resilience of many sports teams. Surprisingly, the Tigers, after finding their stride early in the year, have been flourishing in their traveling role.
In three quick games at the Manhattan Coles Sports Center Princeton trounced the Violets and maintained their status at the top of their division in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
Coming into the match, the Tigers (6-4 overall, 3-0 EIVA Tait Division) had by no means discounted NYU. Although the Violets (3-8, 0-6) are officially a Division III school while Princeton is Division I, that distinction often makes little difference in men's volleyball. In fact, last season's road game at NYU was the end of a Tiger winning streak as the squad fell to the Violets 3-1. Still, the new, taller Princeton team fully expected to avenge that defeat without serious trouble this year.
The first game seemed to indicate that it would be an easy night for the Tigers, as NYU posted a dismal hitting percentage of -.038. The final score stood at 30-18, and the Violets looked ready to wilt.
The unique nature of volleyball's best-of-five games format, however, means that a comeback is always possible. With the score wiped clean for the start of the second game, NYU began to put up a serious fight, led by a skilled serving attack. The Princeton team had not yet forgotten the result of last season, however, and stood ready to meet the comeback attempt. Relying on the consistent passing that had served them well in the first game, the Tigers weathered the storm with confidence.
"Once we got past their two jump-servers, I knew they couldn't do too much damage," head coach Glenn Nelson said.
The Tigers held the line with a match-high .414 hitting percentage and some excellent serving late in the game, particularly from freshman middle hitter Brian Hamming. Final score: 30-25, Princeton.
Up two games to none, the Tigers had no intention of fighting through another close one. The team dominated in the third game, with sophomore middle hitter Sean Vitousek stuffing just about everything NYU managed to send above the net. Vitousek's defense and Princeton's consistent attack closed out the game 30-15 for a straight-set victory.
Sophomore outside hitter Blake Robinson led the team with 18 kills on the day, followed by Hamming and sophomore outside hitter Ryn Burns, who teamed up for 19. Robinson's six digs also paced the Tigers, who finished with a telling 29-16 advantage over the Violets in that category.
Nelson summed up the impressiveness of this victory, saying, "Over in fifty-five minutes, baby."
Undefeated thus far in its division, Princeton will finally get a chance to play at home this Saturday. The Tigers will square off against George Mason to begin a well-deserved six-game home stretch against conference opponents.
The George Mason game, apart from being Princeton's home opener, will be extremely important for the Tigers. The Eagles are a traditional power in the EIVA, and Princeton must be able to beat them to have a chance of advancing in the playoffs. Fortunately, the team is improving with every game. Its defensive woes from earlier in the season did not resurface against NYU and this is what lifted the Tigers over the Violets in such a decisive manner.
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