Hamming is MVP for m. volleyball at St. Francis

The month of February is often characterized as the worst four weeks of sports all year. Football is over, and baseball hasn't started yet. March Madness is still a month away, and the NBA is stuck in its dull midseason schedule.

Luckily for the students at Princeton, February is when the seasons of some of the best Tiger teams are kicking into full gear. High on this list is men's volleyball, which had its busiest weekend of the season. The team went 3-1 on the weekend, creating a wave of momentum that will carry the Tigers into their first home match of the season this Wednesday.

On Friday, Princeton played its second league match of the year against rival Juniata in Huntingdon, Pa. The Tigers did not bring their best game and were swept in three games. The loss sank Princeton's record in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Assocation's Tait Division to 0-2.

But the Juniata match was just the beginning of a long weekend of volleyball. The Tigers played three matches over two days in the St. Francis Invitational. Princeton did not drop a single game over the weekend and showed signs that it will become a very dangerous team as the season progresses.

On Saturday, the Tigers faced off against league rival St. Francis. Princeton was looking for its first EIVA victory and finally got it by sweeping the tournament's host team in three games. Six foot, nine inch sophomore middle blocker Brian "The Hammer" Hamming was a dominant force, tallying 15 kills with only one error. Senior setter Jason Liljestrom recorded 46 assists, and junior outside hitter Blake Robinson added 14 kills of his own.

Sunday saw more of the same domination from the Tigers as they rolled over D'Youville and Lees-McRae, neither of which could take a game from the Tigers. Robinson had 20 kills in the D'Youville match, while freshman opposite hitter Reid Joseph added eight more. Against Lees-McRae, Robinson continued his hot streak with 16 more kills and no errors, while sophomore opposite hitter Jack Pichard chipped in 11 kills.

Overall, the Tigers were happy with their efforts.

"Despite our loss to Juniata, this weekend was a solid performance," Pichard said. " 'The Hammer' dominated and demoralized opposing middle blockers, Liljestrom, our setter and captain, was dishing the butter, and Robinson was passing nails and killing the ball. We are starting to play really well as a team."

Hamming was named the tournament MVP, while both Lilje-strom and Robinson were named to the all-tournament team. While these three stars carried the team this weekend, the Tigers are still awaiting the return of junior outside hitter Ryn Burns, whose passing skills are a key to the team's consistency. His comeback from an ankle injury will only make the team better.

Princeton faces NYU at 7 PM on Wednesday in Dillon Gym.