Third time's a charm as m. volleyball downs Juniata

The first step has been taken. The men's volleyball team looked Lady Destiny square in the eye last weekend, and she found the squad deserving.

On Saturday night Princeton journeyed to Jun-iata College (16-9 overall, 7-8 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) for its first match of the single-elimination EIVA playoffs.

The Tigers (17-8, 8-7) had twice fallen by a score of 3-1 to the Eagles in the regular season, but the team's continuing improvement over the course of the year left the probable outcome of this match in serious dispute.

Princeton drove that point home to the Juniata faithful by battling through an electrifying five-game contest to emerge with a 3-2 victory and a ticket to the second round.

In a match this close, "there really was no turning point," as junior setter Jason Liljestrom put it. Each point was critical, every hit carrying with it the potential to give one team the momentum that truly makes the difference in such a heated competition.

Early on the momentum belonged to Princeton, who fought off an initial Eagle lead in game one to take control at 22-21. The team's lead did not falter in that game, giving the visiting Tigers a crucial early win.

Weathering the storm

Never a team to be taken lightly, Juniata stormed back in game two to win by the same incredibly narrow margin as Princeton had in the first, 30-28. After two full games of volleyball, the two teams had scored exactly the same number of points. There would be no easy wins on this day.

The Tigers managed to create a slight separation in the third game score, turning a 24-24 tie into an almost decisive 30-25 win.

Then things got crazy. The Eagles did more than refuse to go away — they almost stomped Princeton right out of contention.

An early 16-10 lead for Juniata quickly became a 30-19 rout, evening the score at 2-2 and actually putting the Tigers at a distinct disadvantage.

"In game four they crushed us," Liljestrom said. "They definitely had the momentum going into the fifth game."

Momentum means everything in the nail-biting world of volleyball, and things looked bleak for Princeton early on. In spite of everything, however, the squad managed to keep the Eagles from breaking away.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The most significant lead Juniata took was an 8-7 advantage, but the Tiger defense came up huge as the team turned that deficit into an 11-9 lead thanks to some brilliant blocking. With the fifth and deciding game being played to only fifteen points, that simple three-point swing was critical, as the momentum now belonged to Princeton. The Juniata defense had no miracle up its sleeves and got only as close as 11-10 before the Tigers closed out the victory and extended their season by at least one more match. Two factors led to this hard-earned win, one greatly ironic and one that should surprise no one. The irony was that the win came on the strength of the Tigers' defense, especially their blocking, the area they struggled the most with during the regular season. In this match defense was actually Princeton's biggest advantage over its opponent, and some key blocks in particular warded off defeat in game five.

The other key, fittingly, was the play of senior opposite Dennis Alshuler.

"I knew it was potentially his last game, so I told him before the fifth: 'This is your game. I'm gonna be riding you,' " Liljestrom said in reference to his fellow captain. "He definitely stepped up to the challenge, as I would go to him as my first option in crucial points and he delivered."

Deliver Alshuler did, leading the squad in both kills and digs, with 18 and 9, respectively. He had excellent support from sophomore outside Blake Robinson, who finished with 15 kills, and freshman middle Brian Hamming, who led all players with seven blocks.

The Juniata game was a difficult test for the Tigers, but a far bigger one lies ahead. Penn State, the team's next opponent, is ranked No. 9 in the nation and is undefeated in EIVA play. However, since Princeton swept EIVA second seed George Mason in the teams' last meeting, there is apparently no team better equipped to challenge the Nittany Lions than the Tigers do.

Princeton will meet its adversary at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday in State College, Pa.