Led by a senior class featuring three first-team All-Ivy selections from last season — reigning Ivy League Player of the Year outside hitter Parker Henritze, solid middle blocker Lindsey Ensign and assist-leading setter Bailey Robinson — the Tigers capitalized on the chance to get three early road victories at Fordham’s Rose Hill Classic.
In a Friday night match against the host Rams, the Tigers (3-0 overall) got off to a great start behind the efforts of Ensign, who racked up 15 kills with no errors in 20 total attacks. Ensign’s offensive performance, coupled with a solid defensive effort, helped the Tigers secure easy 25-13 and 25-12 victories in the first two games. And though Fordham (6-5) battled back in a third game featuring 13 ties and seven lead changes, Princeton closed out the match with a 25-22 win.
“It was nice getting to finally play after practicing for so long,” Ensign said. “It presented different challenges that are unique to game situations.”
Freshman libero Hillary Ford, looking to fill the big shoes of four-time All-Ivy standout Jenny McReynolds ’08, recorded 14 digs. Senior outside hitter Sasha Sadrai also contributed 14 digs on the defensive side.
On the attack, freshman middle blocker Cathryn Quinn looked strong, hitting .571 with nine kills, while senior outside hitter Kelli Grobe recorded eight of her own.
The Tigers faced Stony Brook (4-5) in the first of two matches Saturday, taking down the Seawolves in four sets. After winning the first game, 25-18, Princeton dropped the second game, 25-22. The Tigers’ veteran backbone rose to the challenge and carried the team. With the help of Henritze’s double-double performance of 15 kills and 15 digs and Robinson’s 40 assists, Princeton captured the last two sets, 25-23 and 25-14.
Stony Brook was led by outside hitter Gulce Dikecligil, who carried her team with 16 kills and eight digs. In the end, Princeton’s multidimensional attack and versatile defenses were too much for the Seawolves. Ensign had another solid game, hitting .474 with 12 kills. Junior outside hitter Sheena Donohue pitched in with 12 kills of her own.
“Our team is at its strongest when we play together and support everyone on the court,” Sadrai said.
Though Princeton is happy with a 3-0 start to the season, the Tigers are too experienced to be satisfied with their performance.
“I definitely think [the tournament] showed us areas for improvement,” Henritze said. “We need to work on our ball control and also maintaining a solid base of play that is standard no matter who we are playing. But it was also fun to finally see the whole team in action.”
Princeton met its toughest test in its final match, pulling out a five-set victory over Manhattan (0-6). After winning the first two games 25-22 and 25-21, the Tigers dropped two straight games to Manhattan. Another strong performance from Ensign and a second Henritze double-double pushed the Tigers to a 15-6 victory in the fifth set and the Rose Hill Classic title.
Ensign had 19 kills, while Henritze notched 13 kills and 11 digs. Donohue and Robinson also had significant contributions, recording 16 kills and 55 assists respectively. Princeton’s defense locked down in the final game, allowing Manhattan to record only one kill in the decisive set.
“We’ve really tried to emphasize the key differences between our two defenses that have made us so successful,” Grobe said of her team’s outstanding defensive effort in the final game.
Princeton faces another non-conference foe when it travels to Temple (3-5) on Wednesday. As the season progresses, Tiger veterans will use these out-of-conference games to prepare the underclassmen for Ivy League play, which begins Oct. 4 at Penn.
“I really want to pass on the spirit of Princeton volleyball,” Robinson said of her role in guiding the younger players.
And if Robinson and the rest of the seniors have their way, they will also be passing down yet another Ivy League title.
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