Digging for history

There's nothing quite like watching Tigers fight Blue Hens in Queens for the potential chance to take on a Red Storm.

Tonight at 6 p.m., that exact scenario will be played out with implications every bit as fantastic as the names involved. The women's volleyball team (22-3 overall, 14-0 Ivy League) will face the Blue Hens of Delaware (30-4) at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. If the Tigers can top the Blue Hens, they will take on the winner of the matchup between host St. John's and Long Island, which will also be played today.

Princeton's 2007 regular season was without precedent in Ivy League history. Having rattled off 20 straight wins and compiled an undefeated record against Ancient Eight foes, the Tigers are on a roll.

This momentous hot streak, however, could potentially be a curse in disguise. Going undefeated against the Ivy League means a lot in terms of both confidence and bragging rights, but an air of indestructibility is by no means desirable.

With this in mind, head coach Glenn Nelson is glad that he can refer the Tigers to the way their season played out last year — evidence that being the favorite does not always mean emerging triumphant. Despite looking at times like the class of the Ivy League, Princeton lost two conference games last season to forfeit its shot at a title berth and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

"They learned their lesson a year ago," Nelson said.

Even if Princeton gives another outstanding effort tonight, the Tigers will still be playing away from the friendly confines of Dillon Gym, a home court they have defended without a loss for over two years. The challenge of playing at a neutral site, though, is not nagging Nelson.

"No, we won every away match in our league, too," Nelson said. "Sometimes, I think this team plays better on the road. That is something that really doesn't concern me."

For Nelson, the all-time wins leader in Princeton athletic history, the particular conditions surrounding tonight's postseason matchup are not a serious obstacle for the Tigers. The main factor in the outcome of tonight's contest is instead Princeton's opponent, the Delaware Blue Hens.

"Princeton will have to play its best volleyball yet if we want to beat Delaware," junior setter Bailey Robinson said.

Both Princeton and Delaware are led by a conference player of the year — junior outside hitter Parker Henritze took home Ivy League honors in a unanimous vote, while Colleen Walsh won the Colonial Athletic Association's top individual award. Both stars led their conference in kills.

Each team also has several all-league performers. Robinson and junior middle blocker Lindsey Ensign earned first-team All-Ivy honors for Princeton, while sophomore outside hitter Sheena Donohue earned second-team honors and senior co-captain and libero Jenny McReynolds earned an honorable mention. For the Blue Hens, Walsh, Stephanie Berry and Megan Welch earned first-team honors in the Colonial Athletic Association, Kelly Gibson made the third team, and Berry also won the 2007 CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year award.

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Add to this that Delaware's head coach Bonnie Kenny won the 2007 CAA Coach of the Year award, and it becomes apparent that both of these teams have performed superlatively against their respective competition.

One of the more interesting aspects of tonight's matchup is that each team has managed to rack up individual accolades and team success without much competition against teams as strong as those they will face in the postseason. This hurdle could be what ultimately keeps one of these two superlative teams from advancing to the second round.

"I think that the NCAAs is stacked with players who have accumulated a lot of individual honors," Henritze said. "But that won't change how nervous we are or our game plan. If anything, it is probably a good indicator of who we need to key on for the match."

With the Tigers and Blue Hens evenly matched in many ways, the game could well be decided by those cheering as much as by those competing.

"We literally have the best fans ever, period, the end," Henritze said. "I'm really hoping a bunch will show up for the game because it would be so exciting to have them there for the NCAAs, yelling and heckling like always. They definitely make a difference when they come, and we are so grateful for them."

Tonight, the Tigers have the chance to reward their faithful with a storybook win over the Blue Hens.