Four sophomores led the women's volleyball team when it took the court on Saturday to face off against the Raiders of Colgate in the first game of its season. In a rollercoaster five-game match, Princeton prevailed over the Raiders and rolled through the rest of this the tournament. The Tigers dropped just one more game against Canisius and Siena to win the Colgate Invitational.
Princeton's youth is not standing in its way, though. Rather, it is strengthening the Tigers' attack. Leading the way was last year's returning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Parker Henritze, who was back in form, tallying 50 kills and five aces over the course of the tournament.
But Henritze, who was named to the all-tournament team, was not alone. Earning the Tournament MVP, sophomore setter Bailey Robinson did nothing but impress in her breakout performance, stepping into the role of setter after former captain Jenny Senske graduated last spring.
Robinson put up 167 sets over the course of the weekend, with 52 coming in the semifinal win over Siena.
While Robinson acknowledges the differences between her and Senske, she is excited to see what the season will bring.
"I am definitely excited to be playing this year and looking forward to figuring out my role this year," she said.
The Colgate Invitational was also the debut for freshman outside hitter Sheena Donahue, who recorded a double-double in her first career start with 18 kills and 15 digs against Colgate and continued to contribute throughout the weekend.
However, the Tigers were not only about the attack. The sole starting senior, libero Emily Turner, had an impressive first weekend with 58 digs, leading the team in every match.
While the Tigers were able to come out on top, the Colgate match was not always smooth sailing. Princeton dropped the first game before coming back to take the next two. Then, after a tough fourth-game loss by a score of 27-30, the Tigers got out to a quick lead in the final game and never looked back. They finished off the match with a 15-10 win.
Two Sunday wins
After a whirlwind Saturday, Princeton returned to the court on Sunday morning to battle Canisius. Three players, sophomore middle blocker Lindsey Ensign, Donohue and Henritze, led the attack with 11 kills each as the Tigers swept the match 30-16, 30-21, and 30-24.
In the final match on Sunday evening against Siena, it was another underclass player who snatched the spotlight. Ensign's 23 kills topped all other players with Donohue recording another double-double with 18 kills and 18 digs.
While the Tigers were unable to finish off Siena in three games, losing the third 26-30, they came back strong in the fourth to finish the match and take the tournament in an overtime, 31-29 victory.
By the end of the weekend, Princeton came out not only with a victory, but also with some valuable in-game experience.
Because of the youth and the new pairings on the court, the Tigers came in looking to see what they could do and came out with a sweep.
"Our biggest challenge this weekend was playing together for our first time against more experienced teams," Robinson said. "We were still trying to work out the kinks and getting over our first-game jitters while our competitors were well into their seasons."
Next weekend Princeton will travel to Lewisburg, Pa. to play in the Bucknell Invitational. There the Tigers will try to build on their momentum and continue to smooth out the kinks.
But with such young talent on the squad that the Tigers possess, the future of Princeton volleyball looks bright indeed.
The Tigers kick off their Ivy League seaons on September 30 when they travel to Philadelphia to face Penn.
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