Men's Volleyball: Tigers continue Dillon Gym thrill ride in weekend wins

No matter what the men’s volleyball team does, its matches at Dillon Gymnasium always seem to go the distance. Luckily, Princeton is finding that the fifth set is where it shines the brightest.

The Tigers (10-7 overall, 4-4 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division) played to a thrilling finish in front of a raucous home crowd on Friday night, eking out a 30-23, 28-30, 33-31, 23-30, 17-15 victory against George Mason (5-16, 2-4). The next afternoon, the Tigers followed up the win by beating Ramapo (19-9) on Senior Day, 26-30, 30-28, 30-22, 25-30, 18-16.

The Tigers came out too strong for George Mason, taking the first set easily and taking an early lead in the second. The Patriots fought back to take the second set after a late 7-1 run. They were in control for most of the third set, before the Tigers took their turn at making a late comeback, building off sophomore setter Scott Liljestrom’s strong serving to take the set.

George Mason dominated most of the fourth set, setting up another epic finish in the fifth. Senior captain Jeff McCown’s serving played a huge role in the Orange and Black win, and the middle blocker combined with the rest of the front line, including freshman outside hitter Pat Schwagler, for some highlight plays.

“Down the stretch, I’d say two service runs really jump out at me,” senior outside hitter Jeff Zhao said. “Scottie [Liljestrom] and McCown’s serving came through at pretty clutch times to put the pressure on Mason and give us a chance to score some points.”

The Patriots managed to keep the game close, even having a game ball at 14-13, but ultimately the Tigers prevailed.

The Tigers looked a little tired off the blocks on Saturday, but they eventually pulled it together. Princeton was clearly fatigued from the previous night, and it showed when the team had trouble communicating, especially on defensive plays.

Despite their best efforts, the Tigers eventually found themselves back in a fifth set, and that’s when they really turned it on. Ramapo managed to stay on top for a while, twice resorting to the use of their feet to keep the point alive, but the Tigers finally pulled even at 13-13.

With McCown serving at 17-16, the match saw one of its longest points. Ramapo almost tied the score at 17-17, but a diving save by Schwagler kept the Tigers in the point before junior offensive hitter Vincent Tuminelli put away the spike for a Princeton victory.

The Tigers are now 7-1 this season at Dillon Gym, and it is clear just how helpful the home crowd has been. The Tigers have played six five-setters, and three of them were decided by just two points.

“Being at home definitely gives a boost,” Zhao said. “Also, much thanks to the Princeton marching band for coming out and performing at the Mason game.”

The team, however, does need to find a way to get its intensity up earlier in the matches.

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“We play our best volleyball as underdogs or when put in difficult situations,” Schwagler said. “We need to find a way to maintain a sense of urgency throughout the match instead of saving it for the fifth game.”

A big key to this is the team’s serving, which has consistently improved throughout the season. The Tigers will face Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday, and their next big Tait Division match is against Juniata on Friday, where they could use some free points off their serves.

“The next couple of road matches are going to determine our standing in the league,” Schwagler said. “We’re going to bring our all and hopefully come out right behind Penn State. I think the outcomes of the matches will depend on how well we serve. If we consistently give Juniata and Mason tough serves, we’ll come out on top.”