Princeton grabs third-straight win

It was just another routine night in Dillon Gym as the men's volleyball team steamrolled past the Division III Stevens Institute of Technology (33-6 overall) yesterday, putting the Ducks' eight-game winning streak to a decisive end.

The Tigers kept the match out of Stevens Tech's reach, winning in four sets, 30-25, 30-26, 26-30, 30-15.

Princeton (10-8 overall, 6-5 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division) will end its season Saturday against league rival George Mason in Fairfax, Va. If the Tigers manage to clinch second place in the division there, they will get double byes that will send them straight to Pennsylvania for the EIVA tournament semifinals.

"To be honest, we knew pretty soon we were the better team in terms of talent," junior captain and outside hitter Peter Eichler said after the game. "We just had to focus on our own game and not let ourselves play down to their level."

The Tigers certainly played their own game to start the match, as the Ducks only kept play tight for a few points before Princeton started building its lead, jumping ahead 10-6. The Tigers held onto that margin over the next 18 points as the teams traded blows to make the score 19-15.

The Ducks were able to capitalize on a few Princeton errors to tie the game up at 22, though they could not take the lead, as a kill from senior captain and outside hitter Reid Joseph put the Tigers back up 23-22. Princeton then mounted a four-point run on the back of Joseph's serve, with a kill from sophomore outside hitter Phillip Rosenberg giving Princeton a 27-23 lead. Kills from Eichler and sophomore middle blocker Mike Vincent closed the opening game out with a final score of 30-25.

The Tigers were careful not to let the air out of their tires in the second match as they had done in their four-set win over the New Jersey Institute of Technology last Friday. Early on, Princeton showed the same weakness in this game, as a 4-4 tie to start the second game turned into a 7-5 Stevens Tech lead. The Ducks maintained a two-point lead until Princeton tied it back up at 12.

Rosenberg made sure the Tigers did not lose their momentum, following a kill with an ace to give the Tigers a 24-22 lead. A kill from Vincent extended the lead to three at 26-23. The Tigers closed the game out 30-26.

While Princeton fought its usual second game lull, they could not manage to get rid of it altogether. The Ducks came out fast in the third game, using a few short, early runs to build an 14-8 lead.

"That's the nature of the team," head coach Glenn Nelson said. "They haven't played three solid games all year."

Service errors crippled the Tigers and allowed Stevens Tech to hold on to their lead to make the game 22-16. Consistent service from Eichler got the Tigers back into the game, as they went on a four-point run to cut the lead to two. They could not get any closer, however, and traded points until the Ducks finished the game off 30-26.

"We have to be more consistent," Eichler said. "When we lose a few points, we get into a rut. When we put ourselves in a six-point hole, it's hard to come back."

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The Tigers turned their service game back around in the fourth game and never gave the Ducks a chance. The Tigers went on a four-point run on Rosenberg's serve to build a 9-5 lead. Fired up, the team used the rest of the game to build its lead on short runs before eventually closing out the match, 30-15, on a Stevens Tech error.

"[Stevens Tech] is a good blocking team, and if we had gotten into a net game with them we could have been in trouble," Nelson said. "Fortunately, we got a lot of jump-serve aces in the last game to get ahead."

If the Tigers can avoid the service breakdowns that have plagued their recent matches, they can come out on top against George Mason and give themselves an easy route through the postseason tournament.