Tigers continue Ivy run

Continuing its lengthy road swing, Princeton’s veteran squad swept both the Lions (5-8 overall, 0-4 Ivy League) and the Big Red (4-9, 3-1), ending the week a half-game behind Ivy League leader Yale (10-3, 4-0).

Though the Tigers (9-2, 3-0) took Columbia down in three, 25-23, 25-8, 25-16, the first game hardly indicated such a dominant Princeton performance was coming. The Lions hit the court with a vengeance, taking an early lead thanks to an aggressive offensive front.

“It took us a while to adjust,” freshman middle blocker Cathryn Quinn said. “Our passing in the first game was not very good, but I think overall we just got a slower start in all senses of the game.”

The Tigers gained some momentum, taking a 7-6 lead, but Columbia refused to go down without a fight. The Lions tied the game three times and took a 21-20 lead late in the match, but a Columbia error tied the game, and a successful kill gave Princeton the game point.

The remainder of the match was fairly anticlimactic, as Princeton built on the win and easily cruised through the last two sets.

“In the second and third games, we served a lot better to try and limit their offense and make it easier on ourselves,” Quinn said. “We were able to get more runs and get more points in a row. We were definitely stronger offensively.”

As usual, credit for the Tigers’ win lies largely on the shoulders of its veterans. Senior middle blocker Lindsey Ensign recorded 11 kills, hit .476 for the match and even added to the defense, putting up a pair of blocks. Senior outside hitter and captain Parker Henritze led the offense with 14 kills, while also amassing a .323 hit percentage and two aces. Among the underclassmen, Quinn and freshman libero Hillary Ford continued their shining first-year performances, with Ford’s 17 digs leading the team and Quinn recording eight kills with a .667 hit percentage. Together, Princeton hit .317 for the match and recorded a match-best .536 hitting percentage in the second game.

Taking on the Big Red

Though Cornell was the last Ivy team to earn a win over the Tigers, Princeton was unfazed by bad memories and trounced the Big Red, 25-15, 27-25, 25-18. After sailing through the first set, the Tigers struggled to pull away with a win in the second game, fighting a back-and-forth battle against Cornell.

“[In the] first game, I definitely don’t think [Cornell] played their best,” Quinn said. “They struggled with hitting errors and had a rough first set. We knew after the first game they were going to come out much stronger in the second.”

At one point, the Big Red seemed poised for the win, taking a 20-16 lead in the middle of the match. Princeton managed to turn things around by earning four consecutive points, however, including a kill by Henritze and an ace by Ford. But Cornell refused to let go of the game so easily, taking back the lead, 24-23. The Tigers got a second chance thanks to a Cornell hitting error that was followed by two kills from Quinn. A blocked kill ended the set and gave Princeton the set victory.

“It was a very tight game,” Quinn said. “Historically, Cornell is the best blocking team in the league, so outblocking them really helped us. But it was a little too close for comfort.”

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In the third set, the Tigers came out with every intention of ending the match quickly, earning a decisive 25-18 win.

While Quinn, Ensign, Henritze and Ford continued to put forth strong performances, so too did senior setter Bailey Robinson, who recorded 40 assists, four digs, three kills and two blocks in the win. Meanwhile, the indomitable offensive trio of Ensign, Henritze and Quinn each had 10 kills against the Big Red, while Ford once again led the team’s defense with 17 digs.