Women's volleyball must handle Cornell, Columbia to stay in race

This Saturday the women's volleyball team will travel to Cornell to play what should be one of the most important matches of the season. Only one match behind Cornell in the standings, and two and a half matches behind league-leader Penn, Princeton enters the weekend with a chance to inch closer to an Ivy League title.

The Tigers (13-6 overall, 6-2 Ivy League) handed the Big Red (18-3, 8-2) their first loss of the season on Oct. 24, winning 3-1. It was a close match, with Princeton winning each of the first two games by only two points.

Statistically, Cornell outperformed the Tigers, with better hitting, blocking, and serving averages. While Princeton did have more kills on the day than Cornell, as well as a better attack percentage, it was the Tigers' lack of errors that made the victory possible.

"We were consistent and did what we had to do to beat them," senior captain Kellie Cramm said, "but I think it will be important for our team to realize that we are capable of more than we showed at our last match."

Cornell has a very talented team with a lot of depth. Offensively, the Big Red have a kill average of 15.06 per game, which is slightly better than Princeton's 14.77. They also have a better hitting percentage, hitting .275 compared to the Tigers' .205. Last time the two teams met, Cornell outhit Princeton, .216 to .195.

On the season, the Tigers' claim a higher ace percentage, but in the last match Princeton only had four aces, while the Big Red completed six.

"They have a solid offense, so if we can just play our game and keep our defense, we should do well," sophomore outside hitter Lauren Grumet said.

Defensively, Cornell had eleven more blocks than the Tigers at the last meeting between the two. The Big Red also have a statistical advantage there, with a 3.45 average, as opposed to the Tigers' 1.78. Yet Princeton does have a better dig percentage than the Big Red, which could play a vital role in Saturday's match.

Despite many statistical advantages, the Big Red also has a much higher receiving errors percentage (1.71) than Princeton (1.33). This has been obvious all season and was a major factor in the last match between the two competitors. Whichever team commits the most errors in Saturday's match will be the team that loses.

The Tigers realize that they have to be on top of their game to come out ahead this weekend.

"We cannot take [the Big Red] lightly when we travel to their home court," Cramm said.

What is crucial is that Princeton does not rely on Cornell errors to give them a win. It is going to be a tougher match than the last time the two faced, and the players will have to make it happen themselves, with accurate ball placement and a strong and consistent defense.

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The Tigers know this and have kept it in mind as they prepare for the big game.

"We will need to play our game and not depend on their errors for victory," Cramm said. "As long as we don't take them lightly we will be able to come out on top."

Before heading to Ithaca, though, the Tigers will have to battle Columbia (0-17, 0-9) in New York on Friday. Though the Lions' record places them last in the league, the previous match between the two teams proved to be a challenge, as Princeton won 3-1 in four closely contested games.

Columbia did put up a good fight earlier this year, out-blocking and out-digging Princeton in almost every game. The Lions also had a better service game. The Tigers are well aware that Friday's match is going to be a challenge and that they cannot look ahead to Saturday until they have a W in the books. But clearly, Cornell is the more important opponent this weekend.

Though Princeton has traditionally dominated head-to-head, winning 12 of the last 13 matches against Cornell, there is no predictable winner for Saturday's game. With five matches left in Princeton's season, the last of which is at Penn, the league title is still up in the air as Penn, Cornell, and Princeton all vie to be No. 1.