The women’s volleyball team’s first Ivy League win over Brown kindled a spark of hope in the hearts of its fans. This weekend, the Tigers hit the road to face another division rival. The question is whether Princeton will be able to keep the fire burning.
Though the Tigers (3-11 overall, 1-2 Ivy League) fell to Yale last Friday, Princeton earned its first Ivy League win and its first road win against Brown on Saturday. Now, the Tigers will see if they can keep the momentum going when they head to Harvard (6-9, 2-2) and Dartmouth (7-7, 3-1) — two teams that are considerably stronger and more dangerous than Brown.
Even in the victory over the Bears, Princeton showed considerable weaknesses in several aspects of its game — including the tendency to get complacent when leading — that undoubtedly need to be fixed for the team to come home victorious.
“We are working on new plays in order to sideout after our first possession,” senior outside hitter and co-captain Sheena Donohue said. “[These will] shorten the length of the rallies and end the other team’s service runs.”
The first test of Princeton’s comparative strength in the Ivy League will occur Friday against Ancient Eight foe Harvard. The Tigers dominated the Crimson in both of last year’s matchups and hold a 41-8 overall lead against Harvard since their first meeting in 1981.
With a new coach and an almost entirely new roster for Princeton, there may be a different ending to this year’s story. Last season, the Crimson struggled with a roster full of new faces. But this year, with six returning starters including last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year in middle blocker andoutside hitter Anne Carroll Ingersoll, Harvard must be taken seriously.
“Harvard has a very scrappy defense, and they are strong passers,” Donohue said. “The two games this weekend will be challenging, but after our win against Brown, I think we as a team are really coming together, and we know what we have to do [as well as] how we have to play in order to win.”
After falling to Dartmouth at home to start off the season, the Crimson came back with a vengeance in New York state, where it swept Columbia and rolled over Cornell, bringing its Ivy League season back to life.
While Harvard’s offense thus far in the season has only been mediocre — the team trails its opponents, 732-670, in kills — the skill of its defense has given the Crimson some breathing room during matches. Leading Harvard’s defensive effort is libero Christine Wu, who averages 5.05 digs per set. She is also her team’s frontrunner in service attempts per set.
Following the faceoff with Harvard, Princeton heads to Hanover, N.H., to hit the court against Dartmouth, the second-ranked Ivy League team. Though the Big Green has a very young squad, it has nonetheless shown depth at every position and has a lot of flexibility coming from the bench.
At the beginning of the season, Dartmouth looked unstoppable, netting a three-game winning streak before being brought back to earth in a close four-set loss to Cornell. While the Big Green has a number of dangerous players, one athlete the Tigers will definitely need to keep their eyes on is outside hitter Madeline Baird, who earned a season-high 23 kills and 27 digs in the five-set match against Columbia.
“Every year Dartmouth has a very strong team,” Donohue said. “They come out ready to play hard and have a versatile offense. We will need to put pressure on them from the very beginning to make sure the momentum of the game is in our favor.”
Donohue has been the most dominant player on the Tiger squad this season. Leading her team with 3.22 kills and 4.30 digs per set, Donohue was the tipping point in Princeton’s victory over Brown, in which she put up 21 digs and 20 kills. This included three consecutive kills at the end of the matchup.
The four-game road trip ends next weekend, when the Tigers return home to play Columbia and Cornell. If Princeton can’t keep the fire burning against Harvard and Dartmouth, however, the Tigers’ playoff hopes may be all but snuffed out by then.
Read More
With Pierce to sit out the year, men’s basketball loses last senior standing
Harrison BlankSenior forward Caden Pierce announced today that he will be sitting out his senior season of basketball at Princeton in the interests of maintaining his final year of eligibility.
Senior forward Caden Pierce announced today that he will be sitting out his senior season of basketball at Princeton in the interests of maintaining his final year of eligibility.
Women’s ice hockey names Courtney Kessel as new head coach
Lily PampolinaFollowing the resignation of Cara Gardner Morey, Princeton appointed Courtney Kessel as head coach.
Following the resignation of Cara Gardner Morey, Princeton appointed Courtney Kessel as head coach.
Former women’s basketball forward Parker Hill ’25 signs professional contract in Switzerland
Doug SchwartzAfter a successful senior season, women's basketball forward Parker Hill signed a contact to play professional basketball in Europe, following in the steps of her past teammates.
After a successful senior season, women's basketball forward Parker Hill signed a contact to play professional basketball in Europe, following in the steps of her past teammates.