Men's Volleyball: Fatigue, deja vu reign in loss to Springfield

The previous match between the Tigers (8-9 overall, 2-6 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait) and the Pride (14-8, 6-5 EIVA Tait Division) started similarly, as Princeton jumped to an early lead by winning the first set 30-22 but dropped the next three games in an eventual loss.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Friday’s match was nothing more than deja vu, as the Tigers were forced to relive the Feb. 28 match by losing three straight sets after cruising to victory in the first.

After winning their first set 30-19, the Tigers succumbed 31-29 to Springfield in the second. Using momentum from this close win, the Pride won the third and fourth sets 30-24 and 30-25, respectively.

Yet however similar the games might have seemed due to the outcomes on the stat sheet, the Tigers said they felt their play had improved since the previous match.

“I thought our overall performance was all right. We just didn’t win the crucial points down the stretch,” junior rightside hitter Carl Hamming said. “The second game was the turning point. Looking back, it’s clear that when Springfield won that game, it gave them the momentum and confidence to carry the match. In the first game, we allowed them to make a lot of unforced errors and won easily, but they cleaned their game up and came back with a lot of fire.”

The ebb and flow of a volleyball match is not always adequately captured by the final score line.

While the number of lead changes in both matches against Springfield was the same, there is no statistic that could have measured the difference in tenacity or perseverance between the two contests.

Princeton came out with a spirited performance this time against Springfield.

Much of the early play in the first set was back and forth, as the Tigers and the Pride traded points until the score was 13-12 in Princeton’s favor.

Then the Tigers went on a six-point run on an initial surge from senior middle blocker Mike Vincent, who earned three straight kills, allowing his team to take a convincing 19-12 lead.

Princeton never relinquished the lead, ultimately winning the set 30-19. The team’s hitting percentage for the game was .426, a number that would steadily decline as the match went on.

The second set was intensely competitive, characterized by 20 tied scores and nine lead changes.

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The set proved to be a crucial turning point of the match, as the Tigers invested tremendous amounts of both physical and emotional effort in an attempt to edge the Pride 2-0. Springfield finally came out on top, 31-29.

After this exhausting set, Princeton seemed all but spent during the third and fourth sets. Though the team fought hard to keep the sets close, the Tigers never held the lead, losing the final two games 30-24 and 30-25.

“It was a tough match. Springfield put up a solid block and had some talented hitters,” junior middle blocker Jeff McCown said. “I think our team has made some small strides since playing Springfield the first time, but we are still struggling to serve consistently and our blocking still needs work.”

These mixed feelings — frustration with defeat and hope that the experience would be a springboard for future growth — were reiterated by Hamming.

“Even though we lost 1-3, I think we played better against SC this time. Now we know that we can play at the same level as these guys, even after a six-hour bus ride. This should give us a lot of confidence for the upcoming home stand and the playoffs beyond,” Hamming said.

Princeton will need this confidence, as the team will play its final home games during a three-game home stretch starting Tuesday night against the New Jersey Institute of Technology (3-20, 0-10 EIVA Tait).

A win against NJIT would clinch a postseason berth for the Tigers in the EIVA tournament. The Tigers won handily the last time they faced NJIT, earning a 3-0 victory.