Princeton controls its own destiny after four Ivy wins

While many Princeton students boarded trains, took flights and drove home this past week to enjoy fall break, the women's volleyball team had other plans. It had business to take care of — four home Ivy League matches, with hopes of the Ivy title riding on the line in every game.

In two weekends, the Tigers would determine their fate, either by seeking revenge for their only two losses of the season and dominating, or by letting Yale or Cornell pull away from the pack and letting the Ivy League Championship slip away. Princeton clearly never considered the second option, as they lost only one game in winning four matches and extended their home winning streak to seven games by playing as a complete team.

That sole loss came in a roller-coaster match on Oct. 29 against Harvard (9-13 overall, 3-8 Ivy League). After pulling out to an early 2-0 lead, the Crimson surged and stole not only the third game but also the momentum as they took a lead into game four.

But in a season-saving moment, led by the former Ivy League Rookie of the Year sophomore outside hitter Parker Henritze, Princeton won 10 of the next 11 points and came back from a 14-8 deficit to pull ahead, 18-15. The Orange and Black never looked back, not against Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown or Yale. The team finished the Harvard match with a 3-1 victory and swept through each of its other opponents. Henritze's performance, including 43 kills in two matches last weekend, earned her Ivy League Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.

While the Harvard match was thrilling, the Tigers had already beaten the Crimson earlier in the season and the true challenges were yet to come. In disappointing first-round matches, the Tigers fell to both Dartmouth (5-6, 11-10) and Brown (4-7, 8-15), and revenge was clearly their next order of business.

"Those games were good to get out of the way since we really felt we didn't play like we could have against them both the first time around," Henritze said. "We recognized that at this point we are in control of the rest of our season, and we can't afford to take any games for granted like we did in some ways in the first half of the Ivy season."

The first act was Dartmouth in the afternoon of Oct. 28. It was smooth sailing through the first two games, as Princeton held Dartmouth to .000 attack percentages in both games. While Dartmouth came out strong in game three by scoring five points, the Tigers quickly answered and took a 6-5 lead. They finished the game with a win and took the match 3-0. Freshman outside hitter Sheena Donohue complemented Henritze with 14 kills and seven digs.

Princeton, however, would have to repeat the magic of its road victory against Yale just two weeks earlier to separate itself from the Bulldogs. Going into last weekend, three teams sat atop the Ivy League with two losses each.

The rivalry between Yale and Princeton is famous in all arenas, but in volleyball this match set both the top attackers and setters against each other. While Yale's Alexis Crusey's 5.46 kills a game in Ivy League play edges out Henritze's 4.97, sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Ensign bolsters the attack with 4.70 kills per game, ranking third in the league. Ensign also leads the league in overall kills with 4.55 per game.

In a match with a lot of heart and a full-team effort, the Orange and Black not only beat their Ancient Eight foe, but they also swept Yale in just three games, with scores of 30-25, 30-26, and 30-26.

"It was probably one of the best matches of the season as far as consistently playing well and performing in all areas of the game," Henritze said.

Princeton finished out the weekend by beating Brown. The Tigers let their first match against the Bears slip through their fingers on the road, but once again the team stepped up, played together and dominated its opponent. Ensign hit .536 in the match, tallying 17 kills and only two errors to lead her team to a sweep, winning the games, 30-22, 30-28 and 30-20.

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By sweeping through their home matches, and particularly by beating Yale, the Tigers kept their future in their own hands. Princeton and Cornell remain the only two teams left with only two losses. If both teams win next weekend, the Ivy League title will be determined by the final game of the season, when Cornell travels to Princeton to face the Orange and Black on their home court on, Nov. 15, where the Tigers have not lost all season.