Princeton splits over opening EIVA weekend

“We’re certainly not lacking in talent this year, but if we’re going to be as competitive as we want, it’s the energy and intensity that we need to maintain,” senior outside hitter Peter Eichler said. “When we’re flat, like we were against Juniata, we’re going to lose.”

After splitting the first two games with the Eagles with a 30-26 loss and a 30-28 win, the Tigers found themselves in a grueling contest for the third set and crucial momentum. Following nine lead changes and 17 ties, the Eagles walked away with a 33-31 win and finished off the Tigers, 30-23, in the fourth game.

Princeton faltered against the Eagles by committing 14 service errors and failing to put away kills. The Tigers combined for a .163 attack percentage and accumulated 34 errors over the four games. Offensive leader Eichler rounded up just as many errors as kills, in part due to the Eagles’ stifling defense, which recorded 18 blocks.

“We greatly underestimated them,” junior middle blocker Mike Vincent said. “We know we could’ve beaten them, and it motivated us to play harder against East Stroudsburg.”

Play harder they certainly did. The team that stepped onto the court against East Stroudsburg the following day was almost unrecognizable as the same one that had slumped off after the Juniata defeat. Rested and reinvigorated, the Tigers were ready, as Eichler noted, to “rip apart East Stroudsburg.” The next hour and 10 minutes witnessed a stomping, as the Tigers dominated the Warriors in every aspect of the game, cruising to a 30-19, 30-12, 30-17 victory.

Junior outside hitter Phillip Rosenberg led the offensive machine with 12 kills and only one error, paced by Eichler’s 10 kills and three aces. Junior setter Brandon Denham coordinated the attack with 36 assists over the three games.

Princeton’s offensive precision was best exemplified by the performance of sophomore outside hitter Carl Hamming. Standing at six feet, seven inches, Hamming had little trouble finishing points and recorded a .900 attack percentage by converting nine kills on 10 attempts against the Warriors.

In addition to the spectacular offense, the Tiger defense stifled the Warriors’ attack, never allowing East Stroudsburg to amass more than 19 points in a game. East Stroudsburg produced some troubles for itself by committing seven service errors without a single ace. But the Warriors were also held to a meager .049 attack percentage and failed to finish easy points. The Tigers were all over the court, diving and jumping with the intensity that had been missing from their previous contest. The team combined for 29 digs and eight blocks and frustrated the Warriors at every turn.

“Blocking was a huge issue against Juniata,” Vincent noted. “They blocked very well, and we didn’t. I think we saw incredible improvement against the Warriors, but we still have a long way to go.”

After five grueling games on the road, the Tigers attempt to repeat their performance from Saturday as NYU invades Dillon Gym on Tuesday night in Princeton’s first home match.