W. volleyball defeats both Cornell, Columbia in five games

The women's volleyball team took a big step in its quest for an Ivy League title this weekend by winning back to back road games against Columbia and Cornell.

The victory over the Big Red (9-3 Ivy League, 19-4 overall) on Saturday was truly one for the ages, as the match's intensity reached a height previously unseen for the Tigers.

"It was by far the most exciting game of the season," sophomore outside hitter Lauren Grumet said, "We showed more pride than we ever have before, and that's why we won."

The cause of all the intensity and excitement was the fact that Cornell was coming off a victory Friday night against league-leader Penn. This upset meant that Princeton (8-2 Ivy League, 15-6 overall) was now only one game back of the Quakers in the chase for the Ivy League title. The Tigers knew that if they could beat Cornell that they would remain in contention for a title. A loss, however, would essentially end the team's chances.

The Tigers started Saturday's match on a good note, taking the first game, 30-26. But the Big Red were able to win the next two, taking the second, 30-24, before earning a lopsided 30-12 win in game three. The 18-point defeat was one of Princeton's worst losses of the season.

"It seemed like we could just not win the second and third games," freshman libero Jenny McReynolds said. "But that's the thing with volleyball — after a loss you still have a whole new game to come back."

And come back they did. The Tigers took the fourth game, 30-25, to set up a fifth game in which both teams had chances to win. It ultimately came down to a game-winning kill from Grumet to steal the game, 17-15, and the match, 3-2.

The victory was a fortunate one for Princeton, which was dominated by Cornell in most statistical categories. The Tigers however, led in the only category that matters —games won.

The import of Saturday's victory might not have been felt had Princeton fell to Columbia a night earlier. Though the Lions (0-19, 0-11) are the worst team in the Ivy League, they nearly made Princeton a victim on Friday night, pushing the Tigers to five games.

"I think we may have looked past Columbia in anticipation of the Cornell game," McReynolds said. "Because of that, we didn't play up to our normal potential."

It may not have been pretty but the Tigers did emerge with the victory. They took the first two games by scores of 30-28 and 30-25, and looked to be on their way to an easy sweep. Columbia came back strong, however, and managed to catch the Tigers unprepared, taking the next two games by scores of 30-28 and 30-24. The Lions couldn't keep the Tigers down, though, as Princeton rallied back for a 15-10 fifth-game victory that prevented the upset.

Grumet, who would lead the charge against the Big Red a night later, rallied the Princeton offense Friday night, recording 23 kills. Sophomore setter Jenny Senske, with her usual efficiency, added 65 assists. McReynolds contributed 29 digs in a solid defensive effort.

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

With only four matches left on the schedule, the pressure continues to mount. The women are becoming accustomed to the pressure and feel that it only makes them better.

"As each match ahead of us has more and more weight on it, it makes it that much more exciting," Grumet commented.

Princeton takes on Columbia tonight at home in a makeup game from two weeks ago. The weekend consists of contests at home against Harvard and Dartmouth, two squads the Tigers beat earlier this season.

All this leads up to the season's grand finale — the Nov. 19 match against Penn, in which the conference title could very well hang in the balance.