Princeton win streak climbs to seven over weekend

Another weekend, another two wins for the women's volleyball team.

The Tigers (9-3 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) opened up a six-game home stand last weekend with two wins. On Friday, Princeton defeated Ivy rival Penn (6-6, 0-1) in a 3-2 battle, and on Saturday, the Tigers defeated Juniata (17-2) 3-1 in their last non-conference game of the season.

Friday's game added another chapter to the Princeton-Penn rivalry, as the match not only took five games to complete, but also saw two games go past the standard 30-point limit.

In the first game, Princeton came out with guns blazing, mounting a 10-1 lead and demonstrating the dominant play that has led to its recent win streak. But Penn, having both the match and its honor to defend, stormed back by going on a streak of its own and eventually tying the score at 14-14.

The Tigers and Quakers exchanged points until the score was tied at 24. Then Penn went on a late-game surge, scoring three points in a row and prompting a Princeton timeout. This last-ditch effort to save the game was not enough, as Penn won the game 30-26.

The next game progressed in the same manner but with roles reversed. Penn took an early 7-0 lead, and the Tigers fought back, tying the score at 18. From this point, neither team led by more than two. This trend continued until the score was tied at 30, and a "win by two" situation took effect. Finally, a kill by freshman middle blocker Elizabeth McStravick ended the game in a Tiger victory, 33-31.

The third game was a blowout with Princeton walloping the Quakers 30-16, but the fourth was another nailbiter. It went into sudden death, but the Quakers refused to succumb just yet, as Princeton lost, 34-36.

Penn's stubbornness set up a fifth and final game. Princeton was 2-1 in five-game matches this season, and the experience served the team well. The Tigers were able to get an early-game lead, and they methodically maintained it until a 15-11 final score secured a seventh-consecutive victory.

This win was huge for the Tigers, not only because it extended their win streak and showed the league the strength of their team, but also because beating Penn at anything is a joyous occasion.

"I was ecstatic," junior middle blocker Lindsey Ensign said. "Going to a fifth game with Penn was tough, but our team is really good at 15-point games, and I knew we would pull through."

A lesser team might have rested on such a big win and not brought its "A game" to the next match, a mere 19 hours later. But this team exhibited its strong focus Saturday, defeating Juniata (17-2) in four games to preserve its win streak again.

Ensign and sophomore outside hitter Sheena Donohue combined for 40 kills, while libero Jenny McReynolds led the team with 32 digs.

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These two wins mark the start of the Ivy League portion of Princeton's schedule, and the Tigers could not be entering in better condition. They have won seven straight games and have three players with over 180 kills this season.

It seems the only thing that could trip up Princeton going into its Ivy League schedule is complacency, but the Tigers seem to be aware of this pitfall and are doing their best to avoid it.

"This weekend was a great confidence builder for our team," she said. "Again, nothing to rest on but definitely a huge momentum driver for the rest of the season."