NJIT ends post-season run

“It was a good season,” sophomore outside hitter Carl Hamming said. “We definitely had a lot of fun.”

Unfortunately for the Tigers, though, the fun ended far earlier than the Tigers anticipated. Princeton (11-9 overall, 6-6 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division), up 2-0 in its quarterfinal match against NJIT, was upset in an all-too-thrilling comeback victory. The match was intense from the start, but an aggressive fan base aided NJIT by traveling down to Dillon Gym en masse and negating Princeton’s home-court advantage.

“They got some momentum, and we couldn’t slow them down,” Hamming said. “It’s definitely going to stick with you for a while.”

While the end of the year was a disappointment, the Tigers do have many positives from this year to build on. They were unbeaten from Feb. 19 to March 8, when they lost to Penn State, and were 9-2 at home on the season. A thrilling 3-1 victory over then-No. 11 George Mason capped that home stand, with Princeton winning the second, third and fourth games to handily defeat the Patriots.

“We had a big win over George Mason, and [that gave us] a lot of momentum,” Hamming said.

But what really hurt Princeton was a lengthy midseason break that lasted almost a month and killed the momentum from the winning streak. From March 8 to April 1, the Tigers did not play a single game. Understandably, Princeton came back to the court rusty after the long break and dropped matches to NYU and NJIT. But the Tigers would bounce back with wins against Juniata and East Stroudsburg to clinch third place in the EIVA and the fourth seed in the EIVA playoffs.

Looking forward to next year, the Tigers will only lose one senior. Unfortunately for Princeton, though, that senior is outside hitter Peter Eichler, the team’s two-year captain and leader. This year Eichler led the team in two major categories: kills with 296 and serving aces with 30. He was also a close second to junior libero Ka’ohu Berg-Hee in digs with 109. Princeton will undoubtedly miss Eichler’s presence, as he has been a star since he arrived on campus.

“[Eichler] was a four-year starter and captain for two years,” Hamming said. “It will hurt to lose [him].”

This year’s recruiting class should help blunt the loss, however, Hamming said. The incoming freshmen are quality players, and coupled with the team chemistry built through this year’s struggles, will hopefully pave the way to greater success next year.