Princeton dismantles NJIT at home

It's always good to be home. After facing some tough opponents on the road in recent weeks and walking away both victorious and not, the men's volleyball team was ready to light it up at Dillon Gym. Playing at their best against the New Jersey Institute of Technology (17-8 overall), the Tigers (8-5 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball League-Tait Division, 10-8 overall) won the match 3-1 and gained positive momentum going into the end of the season and the playoffs.

Watching Princeton play Friday night brought a pleasant sense of deja vu, as the team returned to its early season form with strong hitting and tight defense. Sophomore outside hitter Phillip Rosenberg and junior captain outside hitter Peter Eichler led the offense, with 17 and 19 kills respectively, and Rosenberg hit an impressive .414 on the match.

Perhaps what makes Rosenberg's play even better, though, was his two solo blocks and two block assists, rare for an outside hitter. Rosenberg also added 12 digs, a team high, to his box score, giving him a double-double on the night. In short, his defense as well as his offense led the Tigers.

NJIT, a team that will transfer to Princeton's division next season, had beaten Tiger rival George Mason (9-9), which defeated Princeton in a disappointing match that the Tigers look to avenge next week. Because of NJIT's strong record, Princeton came into the game ready for a tough match.

"We expected NJIT to be very good, as they'd beaten George Mason and are coming up to our division next year after a solid year this year," Eichler explained. "I think that helped us get ourselves very prepared and ready to go."

What the Tigers got was not a tough match, but a fun one. As the team's hitting clicked early, except for a blip in the second game, the Tigers put together strong streaks to take leads held them, while enjoying playing volleyball.

Princeton showed NJIT it was ready to go right from the start, pulling out to a quick 7-2 lead in the first game. Each of Princeton's big hitters showed NJIT what it was up against early, with Rosenberg, Eichler and sophomore middle hitter Mike Vincent each tallying kills early in the game.

Vincent went on to have 12 kills on a .348 hitting percentage, as well as matching Rosenberg's two solo and two assisted blocks.

After Princeton pulled out to a five-point lead in the beginning of game one, NJIT fought back to within one before Eichler took the ball for his second serve of the game, extending the Tiger lead to six. Princeton never looked back.

In classic Tiger form, Princeton lost some focus in the second game, as NJIT held the team to .167 hitting percentage and won the game 28-30. The Tigers strung together a last-minute rally at the end of the game, once again on Eichler's serve, which included the most exciting Tiger-won point of the match, as Princeton barely kept the ball alive multiple times in a row.

A well-placed NJIT timeout put the Princeton run on ice and brought NJIT even in the match at one game apiece.

"We have a problem with losing a little bit of focus in the second game, which we did against George Mason as well, and that results in a lot of second game losses for us even in matches that we go on to win," Eichler said. "That's something we need to get rid of."

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While NJIT kept the match close well into the third game, the Tigers broke free and finished strong. After looking at a tie game at 19 points, the Tigers scored 10 of the next 14 and took the third game 30-22.

Sophomore setter Brandon Denham, who led the match with 55 assists, and senior middle hitter Evan Pasion were responsible for the two service runs that clinched the third game, including five straight points to end the game on Pasion's serve.

The final game was more of the same for Princeton. The Tigers traded points most of the game but slipped in small runs of three or four points to extend their lead to eight by the end of the game. Princeton never really gave NJIT a chance.

To finish it off, Eichler clinched the game and the match on a strategic tip over NJIT's defense to drop it in for the final point, as the Tigers won 30-22 again.

"Hopefully, this gets us back on track for the playoffs," Eichler said.

The Tigers will play their final home game Tuesday night in Dillon Gym before hitting the road to try to avenge their loss against George Mason, as they look forward to the playoffs where the Tigers have clinched the fourth seed in the EIVA Tait Division.