Tigers struggle against tough Penn State team

The light shining on the men's volleyball team's playoff hopes faded on Friday as ninth-ranked Penn State demolished the Tigers in three straight games.

The Nittany Lions, who remain undefeated in the Tait Division of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, (11-4 overall, 8-0 EIVA Tait) opened well, blanking Princeton (3-8, 2-4) in blocks in the first game. Offensively, Penn State proved equally impressive early on, posting an outstanding .737 hitting average in the opening game with 15 kills on 19 attempts and just one error.

The Tigers fought back in the remaining games but were decisively outmatched by their highest-ranked opponent to date as the team fell, 30-15, 30-22 and 30-23.

"We knew we had nothing to lose, so we didn't play tentatively," freshman middle blocker Mike Vincent said. "We played to win, but clearly not well enough."

The Nittany Lions certainly seemed to have all the answers. They ended the night having done better than Princeton in all categories, including kills, where Penn State recorded 49 to Princeton's 30.

Vincent acknowledged that the team had executed its game plan poorly and had not lived up to its potential.

"We were obviously intimidated. We knew they were ranked ninth, and we aren't close to being ranked," Vincent said. But he also attributed part of the Tigers' lackluster showing to illness and injury.

Senior middle hitter Brian Hamming watched from the sidelines after sustaining a shoulder injury last week, a recurrence of the same injury that kept him off the court all of last season.

The team also had to do without the offensive prowess of sophomore outside hitter Peter Eichler, who ranks fourth in the league in kills. Eichler could also only watch from the bench as he sat out the game with a fever.

The Tigers were led in kills by freshman outside hitter Phillip Rosenberg, who notched six and a hitting average of .286. He was followed by Vincent, who recorded five kills, while three other Tigers had four. Among these was freshman setter Brandon Denham, who led the match with 21 of Princeton's 28 assists.

For its part, Penn State was led by freshman Matt Anderson with eight kills and seniors Matt Proper, Nate Meerstein and junior Alex Gutor with seven each. Meerstein also led the match with six blocks.

The Tigers next face Rutgers-Newark (6-10, 2-3) tonight in Newark. The Scarlet Raiders (6-10, 2-3) beat Princeton earlier this season in a tight matchup that went to five games.