The first time the women's volleyball team played Penn in 2004, the Tigers topped the Quakers 3-1 in their Ivy opener. The last time the same two teams faced off, Princeton's 3-0 win earned the team a share of the Ivy League title, the team's 13th in history.
But the Tigers (19-8 overall, 10-5 Ivy League), a veteran team, still had to get through an Ivy playoff to earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Princeton joined Yale, Harvard and Cornell in a four-team tournament to determine which squad would earn the league's bid.
The Tigers were paired against the Big Red, who had defeated Princeton both times the two teams played each other during the regular season. The Tigers struggled in the first game, losing 30-25, and Cornell muscled its way to victory in the next two games for an overall win, ending Princeton's 2004 season. Yale topped the Big Red in the Ivy finals.
Though the Tigers did not advance to the national tournament, they had a strong season, winning nine of their 12 matches against non-conference competition. The Tigers swept Penn, Dartmouth, Harvard and Columbia, while splitting matches with Brown and Yale.
Head coach Glenn Nelson recorded a milestone 500th overall win during a three-game sweep of Columbia in November.
Senior middle blocker Alex Brown, who led the team with a .297 kill percentage, was named to the first team All-Ivy for the second straight season. Junior outside hitter Lauren Grumet and sophomore libero Jenny McReynolds earned second team All-Ivy honors.
Despite losing the four seniors who graduate in June, the Tigers should again be in contention for an Ivy title in its fall 2005 season.
Men struggle
The men's volleyball team (7-13) had a rougher start. Three three-game losing streaks marred Princeton's record.
Yet the injury-plagued Tigers woke late in their season to reverse that trend and go on a three-game winning streak, defeating Stevens Tech, St. Francis and NYU. The 3-1 win over NYU earned Princeton the fifth seed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, which allowed the team to advance to the playoffs.
The Tigers traveled up Route 1 to see action against fourth-seeded Rutgers-Newark in the playoffs. The Scarlet Raiders inched by Princeton in the first two games, 30-27 and 34-32. The Tigers were unable to rally in the third game, ending their season with a 3-0 loss.
Freshman outside hitter Peter Eichler led the team with 275 kills, while senior middle hitter Sean Vitousek headed up the attack with a .347 kill percentage.
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