Princeton (1-3 overall) finished 1-3 over its road trip, dropping 3-0 decisions to No. 4 UC Irvine, California Baptist University and UC San Diego before sweeping Hope International University 3-0. One point of consolation for the Tigers, however, is that their opponents had each already played several games before this week: The Tigers had no game practice during the University’s final-exam period.
The Tigers were given little time to warm up in their Jan. 26 season debut, in which they faced 2007 national runner-up and perennial power UC Irvine. The Anteaters, in their ninth game of the season, dispatched the debutants 30-27, 30-21, 30-20. Sophomore outside hitter Vincent Tuminelli led Princeton’s offensive effort with 10 kills and a .250 hitting percentage, but no other Tiger finished better than .100 for the match. Senior setter and captain Brandon Denham had 31 assists, and senior outside hitter Phil Rosenberg had eight digs.
“It was a strong opponent and a good match,” junior rightside hitter Carl Hamming said. “But we were a little overmatched.”
Princeton was dogged by UC Irvine’s serving, conceding eight aces to the hosts. The Anteaters’ offense finished at .319, compared to the Tigers’ .096. Though the Tigers trailed by one as late as 18-17 in the first game, UC Irvine reeled off a series of kills to stretch its lead and seize a 1-0 advantage. UC Irvine then cruised through the next two games to seal the match.
Princeton ventured to Cal Baptist in Riverside a day later, but the Lancers showed little compassion in dispatching the Tigers 30-16, 30-23, 30-21. By the time Hamming recorded Princeton’s first point of the match, Cal Baptist had already reeled off seven points, including four aces.
“They got us down quickly, and we stayed there,” Hamming said.
No Princeton player broke into the double digits in kills — Tuminelli came closest with nine — and three players had negative hitting percentages. Cal Baptist played its seventh match of the season and, like UC Irvine, had much more game experience than the traveling Tigers.
Beautiful La Jolla was the setting for the next match. Though Princeton came closer to taking a set, UC San Diego completed a 30-27, 30-26, 30-24 sweep of the Tigers. It was a matchup the Tigers might have been able to handle, but the Tritons had the advantage in experience and rest: It was their sixth match of the season to the Tigers’ third match in three days.
“They served pretty well, and we missed a lot of serves,” Hamming said. “We let them get on a couple of runs, and it was just side-out volleyball from then on. Most stretches of the match were back-and-forth. The sides were evenly matched.”
Play was especially tense in the second game, when senior middle blocker Mike Vincent hit a shot that was called out and ruled not to have been tipped by the hosting Tritons. Head coach Glenn Nelson argued that the ball had been tipped and was issued both a yellow card and a red card, giving two free points to UC San Diego. The controversial call and subsequent penalties created a four-point swing in a game that UC San Diego eventually won by four points.
Rosenberg and Hamming finished with 10 kills apiece, and Princeton hit .341 as a team for the match to UC San Diego’s .368. Denham recorded 36 assists, and Rosenberg had six digs.
Princeton would not leave California without a win, however, and it was Rosenberg’s 15 kills that paced the Tigers to a 30-26, 30-18, 30-20 win over Hope International. Rosenberg’s .684 hitting percentage led Princeton to a .458 hitting average overall. Hamming (13 kills, .579, three aces), Tuminelli (10 kills, .280) and Denham (46 assists) also chipped in.
“We destroyed them,” Hamming said. “We were the better team, and we didn’t let that go to waste.”
The experience against the California squads will prove valuable for the Tigers as they head into their Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) season openers this Friday and Saturday at Juniata and St. Francis. The season is still young, but the upcoming games will directly affect the EIVA standings and cannot be taken lightly by the Tigers. The Juniata-St. Francis road trip has tripped up Princeton in years past.
“We know these are important contests,” Hamming said. “We’re looking forward to them, and we think we can do well.”
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