Tigers swept twice

Entering the weekend on the heels of a defeat by Springfield College, the men's volleyball team competed in its first two games since its play over spring break. Its hopes of clinching a spot in the post-season ended in disappointment at the weekend's end, however, as the Tigers suffered back-to-back losses against Juniata and Penn State this past Saturday and Sunday, respectively, in Dillon Gym.

Both the Eagles (13-6 overall, 7-3 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) and the Nittany Lions (22-3, 8-0) swept Princeton (3-11, 2-8). Juniata won by scores of 30-28, 30-28 and 30-25, while Penn State cruised to a 30-17, 30-23, 30-17 victory.

Against Juniata, the Tigers found themselves trailing throughout almost the entire match. Though Princeton stayed within at least five points of the Eagles in each of the three games, a combination of strong offensive play by Juniata and Tiger attack errors hindered Princeton's attempts to steal the lead.

The beginning of the first game brought the two teams neck-and-neck, but the Eagles eventually pulled ahead and held on to the advantage. After a kill by Nathanael Ocasio put Juniata up 9-7, the Eagles grabbed five of the next seven points to increase their lead to 15-10. A final push by the Tigers closed the gap to one at several points and even tied the game twice, but they could not string together more than two points. A kill by Ricky Ziegler gave Juniata a 29-25 lead. Though Princeton saved three game points with a kill by sophomore opposite Reid Joseph, a block by freshman outside hitter Peter Eichler and sophomore middle hitter R.J. Liljestrom and an Eagle attack error, Juniata clinched the game with a kill.

The second game saw Juniata build as much as a four-point lead from the start. Down 17-15 following a kill by Ocasio, the Tigers won four of the next five points. With the help of Eichler and senior middle hitter Sean Vitousek, who had a match-high 15 kills, Princeton took the advantage for the first time all game, 19-18. The Eagles answered back, however, and quickly regained the lead. The Tigers found themselves behind 29-25, and again they salvaged three game points, but a Juniata kill capped the game.

The third game played out much like the second, with Juniata substantially increasing its margin of victory, which reached five at several points, right from the start. This time around, though, Princeton could not catch up to the Eagles, and they held a comfortable advantage through the entire game. A kill by Vitousek brought the Tigers within three, 29-25, but two Princeton errors gave Juniata the game and match.

Eichler posted 12 kills for the day, while junior setter Jack Pichard chipped in 31 assists. Junior libero Mark Stevens had 11 digs.

The following day, Princeton went up against No. 3 Penn State with hopes of stopping the winning streak of the Nittany Lions. Penn State remained undefeated in the league, however, facing very few problems en route to defeating the Tigers.

The Nittany Lions came out swinging from the first point, and their aggressive yet consistent offensive front resulted in an early lead. A kill by Aaron Smith put them up 16-9, and Penn State followed up Smith's kill by grabbing five of the next six points to increase its advantage to 11 points. Despite making several kills, the Tigers' deficit was simply too much, and the Nittany Lions coasted to an easy win.

The second game began much like the second, and it looked as if Penn State would repeat its dominating performance. Princeton put up an admirable fight, though. After a kill put the Nittany Lions up 20-16, the Tigers rallied back to go on a four-point run, tying the game at 20 with Vitousek's kill and three Penn State attack errors. Though the Tigers stayed within one of the Nittany Lions for the next several points, Penn State soon widened the gap with numerous kills. Keith Kowal, who had a match-high 12 kills and an impressive 13 blocks, helped propel his team to capturing the game.

The Nittany Lions did not let up their control in the third game, and they once again gained an early advantage through successfully executing of their shots and taking advantage of an increasing number of Princeton attack errors. Penn State's lead grew at a steady rate throughout the game. A kill by Vitousek brought the Tigers to within nine, 16-25, but the Nittany Lions won the final five points of the game and closed out the match with two consecutive service aces.

Vitousek led the Tigers with nine kills, while senior outside hitter Blake Robinson posted seven. Pichard had 30 assists.

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Though the two losses left Princeton unable to clinch a playoff spot this weekend, the Tigers are still alive in the fight for the final spot in league playoffs, a position that has the potential to be decided in the Tigers' match against NYU on April 5. Princeton has two non-league matches before they meet the Violets, though, the first of which is against Stevens Tech on March 30 at Dillon.