Men's Volleyball: Weekend split highlighted by win at Harvard

The men’s volleyball team (3-4 overall, 0-1 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) proved its resilience on the road this weekend, coming back with a vengeance after a 3-0 loss to Springfield (5-4, 1-2) on Friday night to down Harvard (0-5) 3-0.

The Tigers refused to go down without a fight, with each set being closely contested despite three players netting double-digit kill totals. Junior outside hitter Vincent Tuminelli finished with 13, freshman outside hitter Pat Schwagler with 12 and senior outside hitter Carl Hamming with 10. Hamming also recorded seven digs, a team-best for the match, but the Pride emerged victorious 30-25, 30-26, 30-26.

Springfield was a formidable opponent, boasting middle blocker Cal Palumbo, who entered the game ranked first in the country in hitting percentage. Palumbo did not disappoint, racking up 10 kills in only 15 swings. In addition, outside hitter AJ Nally entered the history books as he recorded his 1,000th career kill, becoming only the seventh Springfield player to do so.

The Tigers recorded a .261 hitting percentage, and sophomore setter Scott Liljestrom amassed 42 assists. They could not produce an ace in answer to the Pride’s eight, however. Schwagler’s kill took Princeton to a 10-9 lead in the first game, but surges from Springfield turned the tables. The Tigers rallied and brought the game back to within three points before finally falling 30-25 after an attack error.

The second game was a nail-biting battle, featuring nine ties and a pair of lead changes early. The Tigers matched a run from the Pride with a 7-2 surge of their own, which forced their opponents into a timeout, but this wasn’t enough to clinch the game. The final game saw the teams tied at 7-7, but Springfield grabbed six of the next eight points to creep ahead, and kills from the Pride’s outside hitter Alistair Matthews, who recorded a match total of 17, helped to finally edge out the Tigers.

“The biggest challenge Springfield presented was their blocking and defense. They put up a big triple block and were able to get key digs to help win big points,” said Tuminelli.

Saturday, however, was a radically different story for the Tigers, as Princeton came out fighting to overcome Harvard 30-24, 30-23, 30-23. Liljestrom recorded 41 assists, and Tuminelli led the way for the attack with 15 kills, unrivalled by the top Crimson scorer, outside hitter Gil Weintraub, who had 12.

“Going from the match on Friday to our match on Sunday, we knew that we needed to play every point with the same intensity as if it was the last point and not wait until we were down to get fired up,” Tuminelli said of this rapid role reversal.

The Tigers achieved a .370 attack percentage and limited the Crimson to .184 with excellent play from senior middle blocker Jeff McCown, who hit eight kills in only 14 swings to record an outstanding .571 hitting percentage. Apparently not content with this, McCown also added three aces and six blocks to his already impressive performance.

“We came into the Harvard game knowing what had to be changed in order to leave the Harvard gym with a victory. We needed to focus on our serve receive. We needed communicate more effectively and execute our attack,” sophomore libero Manny Sardinha said.

Princeton is focused and ready for the season ahead. The Tigers next game is against Rutgers on Friday in Dillion Gymnasium.