Vincent steps up in defeats of rivals

The men's volleyball team defended Dillon Gym against league rivals St. Francis and Juniata to sweep its last conference home stand of the regular season over spring break.

Princeton (8-6 overall, 6-3 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division) went into the week tied for second place in the division with just a month left in the season to separate itself from the pack and earn coveted postseason byes over closely trailing foes St. Francis and George Mason. The Tigers stepped up to top St. Francis (10-7, 4-3) in straight games on March 16, and they persevered through a closer match the next day to defeat Juniata (9-5, 4-4) in five sets.

"The wins were crucial for us," junior captain and outside hitter Peter Eichler said. "We beat two very tough teams and helped our chances of finishing in second, although there is still a lot of work to be done — specifically beating George Mason when we face them again."

Sophomore middle hitter Mike Vincent led the Tigers in kills and aces in both games, with 12 kills and four aces against St. Francis and 17 kills and two aces against Juniata. For his efforts, he was named EIVA Tait Division Player of the Week — the first Tiger to receive the honor this season.

Vincent was not the only Tiger to step up to the plate. Captains Eichler and senior outside hitter Reid Joseph also contributed double digit kills in both games. They had 11 kills apiece against St. Francis, and Eichler had 14 kills while Joseph had 10 against Juniata. Sophomore outside hitter Phillip Rosenberg also had 10 kills against Juniata.

The Tigers used late runs in all three games against St. Francis for 30-26, 30-26, 30-21 wins. Princeton got off to a slow start, as the Red Flash led the first game 19-14. The Tigers rallied from that point with a 7-2 run to tie the score. Back-to-back aces from Eichler gave the team a 24-22 lead, but St. Francis tied the game back up at 25-25. Vincent contributed two kills and combined with sophomore setter Brandon Denham for two blocks to secure the Tigers' 30-26 victory.

After trailing for most of the second game, the Tigers tied the score at 22-22 with three straight kills by Vincent. Three subsequent aces by Vincent helped seal the 30-26 win. While the lead switched back and forth for much of the third game, a 12-3 run turned an 18-18 tie into a 30-21 Tiger victory.

"We played at a very high level against St. Francis," Eichler said. "Every match with [Juniata] is always tough, and this was no different."

The Tigers came out swinging to take the first game 30-26, but the Eagles took the second, 30-20. Princeton gave up a 29-25 lead in the third game as the Eagles came back for a 37-35 win. The Tigers built a 13-4 lead in the fourth game, but Juniata managed to retie the game at 23-23. A few Juniata errors and two kills by Eichler gave the Tigers the 30-28 win. The Tigers took that momentum into the fifth game, in which they never trailed. A kill by Joseph clinched the 15-13 victory.

"Juniata was more about revenge than anything else," Vincent said. "We suffered a hard-fought five game loss to them in their gym that we knew we could have pulled out. We just had too many errors in the final game ... I think it's fitting that in our second meeting, we played an error-free fifth game to win it."

With just three league games left in the season, the Tigers are now preparing to travel to State College, Pa., for another crack at No. 5 Penn State on March 30.

Penn State sits atop the league with a 6-0 record, and the Nittany Lions defeated the Tigers in straight games when the teams met in Dillon in February.

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"Overall, the weekend showed great heart and effort on all the guys' parts," Eichler said. "Hopefully, we can indeed keep that momentum throughout the rest of the season."