It’s only the preseason, but getting swept at last weekend’s West Virginia Classic was not exactly the statement the women’s volleyball team sought to make heading into Ivy League play.
Princeton (0-0 Ivy League, 1-9 overall) traveled south for its final preseason tournament, going 0-3 against George Mason (11-3), West Virginia (9-4) and Duquesne (9-5). The Tigers hit the court against George Mason on Saturday morning ready to prove their championship potential. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t play out, as the Patriots dominated the Orange and Black to win 25-22, 25-15, 25-16.
Princeton managed to keep up with George Mason in the beginning of the first set despite the Patriots’ stifling defense, evening out the game at 15. The set quickly spiraled out of control for the Tigers as the Patriots went on a 5-0 run to grab a definitive 20-15 lead. Princeton fought to regain the set and pulled within two points at 20-22, but these efforts ultimately fell short, and the Patriots slammed a ball in to end the set 22-25.
Though the first set was a disappointment for the Tigers, it proved to be the their best set of the match for the simple reason that it was the only set in which Princeton had a positive hitting percentage. The Tigers kept up with George Mason for a short bit in the beginning of the second set before allowing the Patriots to take possession of the game — this time with a 12-2 midway through the set. The third set was a continuance of the previous two, with George Mason dominating for the win.
“We were attacking a lot, but they also had a really good block and a really defense,” freshman outside hitter Lydia Rudnick said. “We just need[ed] to change up our offense so we could get some kills. We did have some errors, more than we should have..”
The diamond in the rough of this match-up was Rudnick, whose strong performance in the preseason bolstered the Tigers’ offense throughout the tournament.
The rookie outside-hitter continued to dominate in Princeton’s second match-up of the tournament against West Virginia. Unfortunately, Rudnick’s heroics were not enough to push the Tigers to victory. The Orange and Black went 1-3 (25-22, 25-23, 11-25, 25-18) in the loss.
After crumbling under the pressure against the Patriots, the Tigers entered the first set against the Mountaineers out to prove themselves. The Tigers came out strong, tying up the set several times. But West Virginia quickly put Princeton in its place with a six point run that gave them the Mountaineers set. The second set was even closer than the first, with the Tigers trailing by 24-22 late in the game. While sophomore middle blocker Cathryn Quinn got one on the board for Princeton, a side out and a kill gave the Mountaineers the game.
“All this season we have had trouble finishing and getting the last point,” Rudnick said. “We didn’t get the plays we needed, and we didn’t get many kills. We needed to make some plays that we didn’t. We had the lead, and we let it up.”
After those first two tight matches, the Tigers finally managed to come through with a definitive win in the third set, due in no small part to the ever-impressive attacking skills of Rudnick, who went on an incredible nine-point run to give Princeton an early lead. Fittingly, it was Rudnick who put the nail in George Mason’s coffin at the end of the set, smashing a kill in to end the game with the Tigers leading by an impressive 14 points.
Princeton ultimately could not carry the momentum from its successful third-set performance into the fourth, as West Virginia grabbed the lead early and never let go.
In one final attempt to prove themselves, the Tigers again struggled in their 3-2 (25-20, 25-15, 25-27, 19-25, 15-11) loss to Duquesne. The Dukes dominated the first set, fighting through a 5-5 tie with a 10-4 run that gave Duquesne the set. Though Princeton took an early lead in the second set, the Dukes went on an 8-1 run — due in large part to their serving— that ultimately gave them the win. Despite Duquesne’s dominance during the first two sets, the Tigers refused to back down without a fight and outplayed the Dukes in the third set. Though the set went to 24-all, Princeton was able to gain the lead. The Tigers dominated in the fourth set, which they won after an overpowering offensive play that led to a 5-0 run and forced a fifth set. After more than two hours of aggressive play, Duquesne finally ended the match with a decisive 15-11 set win, marking the Dukes’ first-ever win over the Tigers.
Princeton will have about a week to recover before it takes the court again. On Saturday September 26, the Tigers face Juniata at 2 p.m. at Dillon Gym.
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