Two Ivy wins extend streak to 11 matches

The women's volleyball team entered the weekend riding high on a nine-game winning streak. It left on an even better note after picking up two more Ivy wins at Dillon Gym to boost its streak to 11.

The Tigers (13-3 overall, 5-0 Ivy League) defeated longtime rival and Ivy League contender Yale (8-5, 2-2) in a tense 3-1 contest Friday night before besting a pesky Brown team (2-13, 0-5) by the same score Saturday afternoon.

Friday's contest against the Bulldogs pitted two teams with their sights set on the Ivy League title. Princeton edged the Bulldogs 35-33, 26-30, 34-32, 31-29 in a close, competitive match. Tense moments abounded as the teams had numerous long rallies, often at critical junctures in the match.

"We won a lot of [the long rallies]," senior libero Jenny McReynolds said. "We've been training really hard, and that helped us win the big points. We also didn't stop trying at any point in the match."

The Tigers seemed to rise to the occasion as the games drew to a close, winning all three of their games in overtime. Junior middle blocker Lindsey Ensign played an important role down the stretch, providing several key kills and blocks. In the first game, with the score knotted at 33, Ensign gave the Tigers a one-point lead with a kill before assisting on a block to end the set 35-33 in Princeton's favor.

After this close opening game, the Tigers suffered a let down as Yale evened the match with a 30-26 win in the second. Princeton was able to recover, however, winning a tense 34-32 game for a 2-1 lead. Junior outside hitter Parker Henritze, who finished the game with 20 kills and 20 digs, provided a spark in this set, often ending points with authoritative spikes. Leading two games to one, Princeton entered the fourth game eager to end the match.

"We felt like we had to win the fourth game," Ensign said. "We didn't want to play a short fifth game, so we played the fourth game like it was do or die."

Ensign again played a key role in ensuring that the Tigers were not faced with the undesirable task of playing a winner-take-all fifth game against the Bulldogs. With the score tied at 29, Ensign iced the victory with her 22nd and 23rd kills of the match.

The 31-29 victory came after Princeton had trailed nearly the entire game. After jumping out to a 4-3 lead, the Tigers fell behind until a Henritze kill made the score 28-27 in Princeton's favor.

Following their huge win over the Bulldogs, the Tigers entered their game against Brown as overwhelming favorites. Princeton filled that role in the first game, easily cruising to a 30-24 win. The Bears would not roll over without a fight, though, as they started the second game energetically, jumping out to a 13-9 lead. The Tigers seemed unable to match Brown's energy, making an uncharacteristic number of unforced errors and thereby allowing the Bears to capture the game 30-27.

"We noticed that we didn't show any energy in the second set," McReynolds said. "We just regrouped and focused on pumping each other up and being positive after every play. We also thought about our league and our goal to win the Ivy League title."

With this objective in mind, Princeton quickly pulled together, putting on an offensive showcase in the final two games. The Tigers dominated play around the net, with Henritze and sophomore outside-hitter Sheena Donahue repeatedly ending points with kills.

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Junior setter Bailey Robinson also provided consistency throughout the game, repeatedly setting up her teammates for easy spikes. Princeton's .629 hitting percentage in the third game was a testament to Robinson's precise sets, as the team won comfortably, 30-19.

"As long as we were playing well, we were successful," Robinson's said. "The only points we lost were because we hurt ourselves."

This was not a problem in the final game, as the Tigers continued their dominant play, wrapping up the match with a 30-21 fourth-game win in which they never trailed.

With the win over Brown, Princeton moved into sole possession of first place in the Ivy League. The Tigers also maintained their undefeated mark at Dillon Gym.

More importantly, the Tigers established themselves as favorites for the Ivy League crown, a title they will be hard pressed to relinquish in the ensuing weeks.