No Ivy, no challenge at tourney

Three weekends, three tournaments, three titles. As the women's volleyball team returned to campus Saturday night, they brought with them a 9-0 record and the Red Flash Invitational MVP sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Ensign.

Looking forward to the beginning of Ivy League play next Saturday at Penn, the Tigers could not have asked for a more successful run through the pre-season tournaments.

Coming into the season, Princeton was unsure about what this season would hold. Questions abounded with a strong underclass presence in the starting lineup, new players at many positions and their leadership on the court coming from a pair of sophomores: returning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Parker Henritze and Ensign. The Tigers knew that their seniors would lead the team, but their play on the court was still yet to be determined.

Those questions, while not yet answered in Ivy League play, have certainly gained a preliminary response — and it's pretty good. This weekend was their final chance to test the waters before taking on the Ancient Eight, and they came out with another 3-0 sweep at the Red Flash Invitational in Loretto, Pa.

The first match of the weekend was Friday night's 3-0 victory over Coppin State (0-1 overall). Princeton started out strong and never looked back in the match, winning by scores of 30-16, 30-17 and 30-28. Henritze led the way with 12 kills, five digs, and four aces, and Ensign added nine kills of her own.

On Saturday, the Tigers topped Stony Brook (6-10) in only their second five-game match of the season. After going up 2-0 with a 30-26 win in the first game and a 33-31 overtime victory in the second, Princeton let down its guard against the Seawolves, who took back two games of their own, forcing the Tigers into a decisive fifth match.

But Princeton was not intimidated and recaptured the momentum to win the match with a 15-10 game five victory. Ensign had an impressive season-high 25 kills in the match while freshman outside hitter Sheena Donohue notched 15 kills of her own.

Junior libero Emily Turner tuned in an impressive 20 digs. Henritze recorded a double-double with a matching 16 kills and 16 digs.

Some of the pivotal play in the match came from senior defensive specialist Joanna Mandecki, who recorded five aces that helped kill the Seawolves' momentum.

With only one match standing between the Tigers and the title, Princeton took the court against the host St. Francis (7-10). While the Orange and Black dropped the third game of their 3-1 victory, the Tigers clinched the title on the shoulders of their outside hitters, who both recorded double-doubles. Donohue had 23 kills and 14 digs, and Henritze notched 20 kills and 17 digs to help take home the championship.

"Obviously, it feels great to be 9-0, but we're not giving ourselves too much credit," Henritze said. "The team is excited and happy but more importantly there is an overriding sentiment of expectation since we start Ivy play this weekend."