Burden falls on sophs' shoulders

When the women's volleyball team walked off the court at the Palestra having clinched a four-game victory over the University of Pennsylvania, they had to say goodbye to three strong senior leaders. Nevertheless, with a three-match win streak to finish the season and their spirits high, Princeton knew that the future was hopeful.

On the shoulders of the talented Class of 2009, led by the returning Ivy League Rookie of the Year— sophomore outside hitter Parker Henritze — the Tigers are looking forward to another strong season.

In order for this to happen, the Orange and Black will need to be sharp from the start. Going into the halfway mark of Ivy League play last year, Princeton was under .500 with a 3-4 record, having been swept by Yale to close out the first half of play.

The Tigers, however, were able to rally, finishing the season with eight wins and just six losses in the Ivy League. In order for this season to be successful, the team needs to be repeating victories instead of avenging losses in the second half of Ivy play.

The Tigers started off on the right foot by sweeping the Colgate Invitational last weekend where two sophomores, setter Bailey Robinson and Henritze, were named to the all-tournament team and Robinson earned MVP honors in her first collegiate volleyball weekend.

Robinson's role on the team will be crucial as she is taking over for four-year starting center Jenny Senske who graduated last year.

As captain, Senske was also a leader for the team and played a critical role in many of its matches.

In addition to Senske, the Tigers will miss the presence of the outside hitter and right side Lauren Grummet and middle blocker Brittany Wood, who both graduated as well.

Stepping up with Robinson are sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Ensign and sophomore outside hitter Jessica Hoffman, along with junior libero Emily Turner, who will start.

The new energy of freshman outside hitter Sheena Donohue, who made her debut starting in the Colgate Invitational and was helped by classmate outside hitter and right side Taylor Carroll.

The Orange and Black also welcomes three other new freshman in outside hitter Rachel Cocalis from La Jolla, Calif., outside hitter Halcyon Person who hails from Plainfield, N.J. and middle blocker Kait Woznicki from Maple Glen, Penn.

There is certainly no lack of height in this new class either — with Cocalis coming in as the shortest at five feet, 11 inches.

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With the help of the freshmen and the returning players, the Tigers look to reclaim the Ivy League Championship which has evaded them since 2001. Before that season, Princeton had won five titles between 1994 and 2000, only losing in 1996 and 1998.

To return to the top, Princeton will have to knock off the defending champions Cornell. Last season, the Tigers swept the Big Red in their final home game after falling to Cornell earlier in the season.

Other Ivy foes who the Tigers will be gearing up for are Yale and Brown, who handled them in 3-1 victories in the second half of Ivy play last season, seriously dampening their title hopes.

This season, behind the leadership and experience of seniors Bayley Dixon and Joanna Mandecki, the Tigers look to build on their early momentum as they head to Pennsylvania to play in the Bucknell Invitational.

"Winning our first tournament was really exciting," Robinson said. "It is a great way to start off the year and we see it as a building block towards a successful season."

The next step will come against LaSalle at 5 p.m. on Friday.