Who's next?
It almost doesn't matter. The women's volleyball team is ready for anyone after sweeping its second consecutive weekend doubleheader last Friday and Saturday, running its winning streak to an impressive five matches, four of which were conference games.
"We continue to make progress," head coach Glenn Nelson said. "We certainly made some improvements this weekend."
The streak will be in serious jeopardy over the fall break as Princeton welcomes league-leading Cornell on Friday. It gets a little easier on Saturday as the Tigers face a struggling Columbia team. Both games are home, the team's last before a four-game road stretch that continues into November.
"We're very happy to be at home this weekend," Nelson said.
The much anticipated showdown with Cornell comes after a weekend sweep of Dartmouth and Harvard. Princeton, the visiting team in each match, continues to prove itself against Ivy League opponents as its record now stands at an impressive 4-1, ranking only behind undefeated Penn and Cornell.
Cornell (6-0 Ivy League) may be the toughest challenge the girls face all year. The Big Red have rolled through the Ivy League and have had no problem with any other competition so far this year. They currently have a very impressive 14-game winning streak, easily trumping the Tigers' own five game streak. Cornell's domination has been greatly assisted by the impact of freshmen outside hitter Elizabeth Bishop, who has been named Rookie of the Week for four out of six weeks. Bishop leads the Big Red in kills and hitting percentage, both of which are potential school records.
Princeton will hope to counter Bishop's effect with the play of their own freshman — outside hitter Jenny McReynolds. McRey-nolds, coming off a weekend in which she recorded an amazing 64 digs, dethroned Bishop by taking the Rookie of the Week honors last week.
The Tigers will also focus on improving the efficiency of their offense after a successful yet sometimes sloppy weekend performance plagued by numerous errors.
"We'll need a better match from our outside hitters," Nelson said.
This showdown is of utmost importance to both teams with the thought of an Ivy League title looming overhead. The intensity can't get much higher.
"Were ready for the weekend," McReynolds said.
Saturday's game against Columbia will surely lack the meaning of the Cornell game as the Lions come in with a miserable 0-6 Ivy League record. Avoiding a let down may be a challenge for the Tigers, who should otherwise have little trouble with Columbia. "They've got a new coach and they lost some players from last year," Nelson said, commenting on the Lions' lack of success.
After this weekend's games, Princeton begins its four-game road trip the following Friday (Oct. 31) against Yale. Princeton will look to defeat Yale for a second time after handing the Bulldogs a loss earlier in the season. Yale will surely be a challenge for the Tigers, but the following game against Brown on Saturday, Nov. 1 should be a little easier. Princeton had little trouble with Brown in an earlier match and will hope to continue this trend.
The Friday game against Yale (2-3 Ivy League) will be an excellent opportunity for the Tigers to show the distinction between themselves and middle-tier teams such as the Bulldogs. Depending on how this weekend's match against Cornell goes, a Princeton victory could very well keep it in a tie for first place.
The Brown game is equally important as the Tigers begin the final stretch of the season. Games against teams such as Brown (1-4 Ivy League) and Yale are must-wins considering three out of the Tigers' last four games are against title contenders Cornell, Harvard, and Penn. Dropping a game to a less talented team would very quickly destroy many of the Tigers' title hopes for this season.
Despite the evident challenges ahead, the team is optimistic going into the fall break. Thus far, they have been able to hold up under the mounting pressure as the season wears on, but only time will tell if such pressure will eventually crush Princeton's spirit or mold it into champions.
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