Women's Volleyball: Young Tigers expect continued improvement on the court

Only one short year after the women’s volleyball team kicked off its schedule with three winless preseason tournaments, the Tigers are entering their final preseason tournament this year with a winning record and higher hopes for an Ivy League Championship season. The Tigers were already three weeks into Ivy League play last year when they got their fourth win, but this year’s squad already has four wins under its belt, including a win over George Mason last weekend that avenged a loss last fall.

Last year’s team stumbled early while adjusting to a coaching change and the loss of much of its starting lineup to graduation but seemed to find its stride toward the end of the season. After a 1-9 start, Princeton bounced back to win 10 of its last 16 matches for a 11-15 record overall and a 9-5 finish in the Ivy League, which put it third in league standings behind Penn and Yale.

Though Princeton has many key players returning this season, including junior middle blocker and All-Ivy Honorable Mention Cathryn Quinn, senior middle blocker and co-captain Liz McStravick and junior defensive specialist Hillary Ford, the Tigers will need good senior leadership and younger players to embrace bigger roles on the team to overcome the loss of first-team All-Ivy outside hitter Sheena Donohue.

Senior defensive specialist and co-captain CC Lobben has already blossomed in her new leadership role with a career-high 34 digs in the opener against Farleigh Dickinson and another strong showing in Princeton’s loss to Seton Hall. McStravick finished last year with a team-best 51 blocks and will bring an intense work ethic and great dedication to the program as a captain this year.

Princeton has two former Ivy League Rookies of the Week in Quinn and sophomore outside hitter and All-Ivy Honorable Mention Lydia Rudnick, both of whom will be vital to the Tiger offense this season. Quinn led the program in attack percentage last year and is one of two multiple-year starters on the team, along with Ford.

Head coach Jolie Ward is looking to Rudnick to step into the position left by Donohue, and the sophomore has already produced, averaging 4.5 kills per set and more than five points. Rudnick attributes her own, as well as her team’s, good play to a stronger work ethic and a greater familiarity with the returning coaching staff.

“We did not want a repeat of last year, so we practiced hard leading up to our first tournaments,” Rudnick said. “We were much more focused this year, and prepared for the different style of coaching.”

Looking forward to the Ivy season, Princeton will try to avenge last year’s losses to Harvard, Penn and Yale. Rudnick again emphasized the importance of hard work and focus to the team’s success.

“This year we need to play hard against Harvard, Penn and Yale, so that we can beat them,” she said. “If we stay focused on our goal to win the Ivy League and take it one game at a time, we will be able to play very well.”

Princeton can expect significant contributions from this year’s freshman class of five. As Ward considers moving the versatile Quinn to the right side, several freshmen are competing for either the second outside starting position or the right-side starting spot. Freshmen Chelsea Parker, Christine Renschler, Sydney Brombal and Leah Jordan have all seen playing time, whether at the middle position or on the outside. Princeton also has a solid defender in freshman Kelsey Janke.

As the freshmen vie for playing time, junior setter Michaela Venuti and sophomore setter Molly Bagshaw continue to push each other and remain in close competition for the starting setting spot. Both have posted consistently good results in the preseason.

Princeton will compete in the Penn State Classic this weekend in its final preseason tournament, which will include a matchup against three-time defending national champion Penn State. This final tournament will be a great opportunity for the Tigers to see how they match up against some of the best teams in the country before the start of Ivy League competition in October.