Robinson carries m. volleyball over La Verne, Hope in trip out West

California in January is a great place, with warm beaches and lots of sunshine. The men's volleyball team certainly enjoyed the change of scenery from the cold and snow in New Jersey. The Tigers traveled west over Intersession to open their season with a four-game California road trip. The Tigers finished 2-2 on the western swing, defeating La Verne and Hope while falling to UC-San Diego and California-Baptist University. The highlight of the trip was the La Verne match, in which the Tigers reeled off eight straight points to break a 6-6 tie in the deciding fifth game.

All in all, it was a successful opening trip for the Tigers, as the two losses came in matches against heavily favored opponents, and the two victories displayed Princeton's potential to be a force in the Northeast this season.

The Tigers opened their season against UC-San Diego last Monday. Princeton came into the match as a heavy underdog because San Diego was coming off a 3-1 defeat of Stanford, the No. 6 team in the country. The Tritons smelled blood as the unheralded Tigers came to town. But Princeton came ready to play, matching the Tritons blow for blow in the first game before eventually falling, 31-29.

San Diego dominated the next game 30-16 and looked ready to sweep to victory. But Princeton was not done scrapping, and won the next game 30-28 behind a huge late kill by sophomore Brian Hamming. This was all the bleeding San Diego would allow though, and the Tritons rolled to a 30-21 victory in the final game to take the match.

Several key Tiger performers made their presence felt throughout the match, indicating greater things to come as the season progresses. Senior Jason Liljestrom had 40 assists and 14 digs. Hamming led Princeton with 15 kills, while junior Blake Robinson contributed 13 kills of his own.

Liljestrom, Hamming and the rest of the Tigers next brought their game to Riverside, Calif., to take on Cal-Baptist. The Lancers came into the match ranked No. 2 in the NAIA and promptly established their prowess by winning the first two games, 30-17 and 30-23. But Princeton again bounced back in the third game, winning 30-27 before eventually falling in the fourth game to lose the match.

Liljestrom again led the Tigers with 32 assists, while Robinson contributed 13 kills and eight digs. Freshman Reid Joseph showed a lot of promise in just his second career match, finishing with 11 kills. But these efforts would not be enough to carry Princeton to victory over the Lancers, and the Tigers found themselves staring at an 0-2 start to the season.

But the Tigers rebounded the very next night with the 3-2 win at La Verne. Four Princeton players reached double digits in kills during the win, and the complete team effort gave the Tigers a much-needed first win. The success continued against Hope the next night as the Tigers swept to a 3-0 victory.