According to a recent piece on "20/20," a person's happiness is determined not by genetics or the events that occur in one's life, but rather by one's relative state of mind. Specifically, what matters is whether one chooses to see situations in a positive or negative light.
The men's volleyball team seems to be applying this paradigm to its upcoming season, which opens on the road against UC San Diego on Jan. 30. After finishing fourth in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) last season with a record of 12-10 — and losing to then-No. 7 Penn State in the league semifinals — the Tigers have come into this season with an optimistic outlook.
"The past years, we've lacked the cohesion and chemistry that only comes with playing with the same group of guys for a long time," junior outside hitter Ka'ohu Berg-Hee said. "[This season], we look ready and able to accomplish what we underachieved last year. We've still got a lot of work to do, but in my opinion, being a top team in the EIVA is well within reach."
Princeton started off shakily last season with a four-loss Intersession trip to California followed by a road loss to Juniata in its EIVA opener. At that point, the Tigers turned things around, reeling off wins in seven out of its next nine matches, all but one in-conference.
But this successful run would not last. Princeton entered the more difficult part of its EIVA schedule and suffered losses to Penn State, East Stroudsburg and George Mason.
Despite these end-of-season losses, Princeton opened its EIVA playoff run with a hotly contested 3-2 win over Juniata in Dillon Gymnasium. Though the Tigers lost in straight games to the top-seeded Nittany Lions in the next round of the tournament, Princeton's appearance in the EIVA Final Four was its first in four years.
"Despite being proud of what we accomplished last year, we're not going to be satisfied with a similar result this year," senior outside hitter Peter Eichler said. "Everyone is really hungry to start competing again."
Last season's successes seem all the more remarkable when the age of Princeton's 2007 squad is taken into account. The team had only two seniors and relied heavily on a five-man sophomore class. Those sophomores matured through the trials and tribulations of last year and enter this season as well-seasoned juniors.
"Our team has come a long way," Berg-Hee said. "Age-wise, we've gone from being a very young team to now having only one underclassman in the starting rotation. Commitment-wise, I feel that we've lost the lack of focus that's really hurt us in the past. And, finally, talent-wise, we've always had a really competitive team with a good group of guys, but this year we've got talent in every position with solid backups coming off the bench."
Princeton's early schedule this year may determine whether the team can improve on last year's 12-10 record. Over Intersession, the Tigers open with rematches against three of the four teams — UC San Diego, Cal Baptist and Hope International — they played, and lost to, during last year's California trip. Once the second semester rolls around, Princeton opens its conference season with a rematch of last year's EIVA quarterfinal on the road against Juniata.
The hardest matchups of the Tigers' conference season will likely be the two games against Penn State — the first in the middle of the EIVA season in State College, Pa., and the second late in the season at Dillon Gym. The results of these two games could be pivotal in determining EIVA playoff seedings and could vault the Tigers to a higher level of postseason achievement.
"This team is the most talented and tight-knit group that I've been a part of in my four years here," Eichler said. "The dedication and commitment from everyone is really exciting, and I think that all bodes extremely well for us. I'm very confident that we'll be able to be one of the top-tier teams in the conference again this year and, along with all the other guys, I just can't wait to get back on the court."
Princeton's dedication and focus has resulted in an optimistic outlook on the future. Hopefully for the Tigers, they see the future with the same 20/20 vision with which they see the past.
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