Men's Volleyball: Home defeat jeopardizes Tigers’ playoff hopes

The Tigers (1-9 overall, 0-6 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division) opened the match well, and the first set was the most evenly matched of the game. The Tigers fell behind early but remained within striking distance until the end. The Tigers faced a set point at 25-24, but they fought back to force the game past 25.

Princeton and Springfield traded points for the remainder of the set, mostly winning sideout points, and Princeton even earned a pair of game points.

Springfield came back both times, though, and eventually finished the long game after earning a set point at 32-31.

The second set was regrettable for the Tigers, as Springfield dominated its opponents throughout. Springfield notched 16 kills to the Tigers’ seven and completely dominated the home team’s serve, winning 86 percent of its sideout points.

The third set was undecided until the end when the Tigers came through in the clutch to keep the match going.

Taking a cue from Springfield’s second set, the Tigers won 81 percent of their sideout points. Springfield continued at the same clip as the previous set, keeping the game extremely close, but Princeton finally pulled away at 21-21, winning four of the next five points to capture the set.

The Tigers couldn’t maintain their momentum into the fourth set. Princeton kept the set close early, but Springfield slowly took the lead, pulling away toward the end of the match.

Though the Tigers never slipped too far behind, Springfield remained just out of reach for the entire set. A kill by Springfield’s middle blocker Greg Falcone ended the set at 25-21 and sealed the match.

The Tigers’ loss pushes them to the brink in this season’s playoff race. With just four games left, the Tigers will have to go unbeaten for a chance in the playoffs.

Both Penn State and George Mason are virtually guaranteed a spot at this point in the season because Penn State still boasts a perfect league record and George Mason’s only conference loss was against Penn State’s Nittany Lions.

Both Rutgers-Newark and St. Francis have enough wins to make the Tigers’ overtaking the teams unlikely. That leaves just Princeton and Springfield jockeying for the last spot.

The Tigers’ next match against Springfield this Friday is absolutely crucial. A loss will almost certainly ensure that Princeton will be eliminated from playoff contention while a victory would bring the Tigers neck and neck with Springfield once again.