Women's Volleyball: Princeton falls out of Ivy race with pair of road losses

The Tigers (13-11, 8-5) went into this weekend with no margin for error. Their loss to the Columbia Lions last week meant that they would have to sweep the rest of the season to have any chance of winning the League and getting into the NCAA tournament.

The Dartmouth game on Friday was crucial. The Tigers lost a close first set, a bad habit that they have been unable to break. The Tigers won their first four Ivy League matches after losing the first set, but they have been unable to sustain that pattern and have not won a single match since then after dropping the first set.

Dartmouth was certainly still a manageable opponent, but the Tigers struggled to find any rhythm during the game. A couple of strong runs helped them capture the third set, but they were unable to maintain their momentum and dropped the fourth set 25-19 to seal their Ivy League fate.

Despite being knocked out of the Ivy League the Tigers put on a good showing against Harvard, and at times they seemed like they could win. Once again the Tigers tried and failed to capture the first set, losing 26-24 after holding a commanding lead for most of that set. By the second set, though, the hangover from the previous day’s loss seemed to have faded and the Tigers were competing.

The Crimson held off the Tigers for a 25-21 victory in the second set, but Princeton once again mounted a strong comeback, dominating the third set 25-14. Its momentum carried through the fourth, and Princeton captured the set 25-22.

The fifth set was close, and the Tigers came within three points of completing a season sweep of the Crimson at 12 apiece. The Crimson managed to hold them off at the end, though, and pulled out a 15-12 victory.

The two losses were a huge blow for the Tigers, who until last week were in complete control of their Ivy League destiny. With the exception of a loss to Yale, which is guaranteed at least a share of the Ivy League title now, the Tigers had a mostly spotless record.

Columbia proved to be the Tigers’ nemesis, and they struggled in both matches against the Lions. More than anything else, Princeton had depended on pure confidence and determination early in the Ivy League season to eke out wins after going down one or two sets. The first loss to Columbia put a dent in that armor, and it was an uphill climb from there.

After losing to Columbia last week, the Tigers hoped that the Lions would also manage to defeat Yale at home this weekend, which would give the Tigers a chance to win the Ivy League. That hope was shattered by the loss to Dartmouth, which ensured that the Tigers would not be the Ivy League champions this year.

After the Tigers started the Ivy League season with huge wins over both Penn and Yale, the teams that swept the Tigers last year, hopes were high for the team. Their weakness was their slow starts, which eventually wore them down. Constantly coming back from down two sets requires impossibly high levels of confidence and concentration, and the Tigers lost once they were unable to regain the confidence that carried them early in the season.

In spite of Princeton’s loss, the season is not yet completely over. Wednesday night is Senior Night against Penn, a match that the team hoped would determine its own placement in the Ivy League. Instead, the Tigers will go into that match with the hope of knocking Penn out of a tie for first with Yale.

There is still plenty to look forward to, though. The Tigers will return almost their entire starting lineup next year, and with the experience they gained this season, they will be in good position to contend for the Ivy League title next year.