Men's Volleyball: Team falls in rematch with Rutgers-Newark

The first set was tight from the start. Rutgers found itself with its largest lead at 15-11, at which point the Orange and Black picked up its intensity and played with more discipline to bring the score to 20-20. The Tigers then won two points in a row to take the lead for the first time since the beginning of the set. Looking to slow Princeton’s momentum, Rutgers called a timeout before tying together strong back-to-back plays to finish the set 23-25. Each team recorded 10 kills, one ace and three blocks in the first set, though Princeton had nine attack errors to only five for Rutgers.

The second set started out promisingly for the Tigers. The teams were tied at four before Princeton earned three unanswered points, two of which came from service aces. The Scarlet Raiders responded with three kills to tie the set at seven. The momentum then shifted in Rutgers’ favor: Princeton only scored eight additional points during the set while Rutgers tallied an additional 18, ending the set 25-15. The Tigers attack recorded only five kills in the second set, while the Raiders had 16.

To give themselves a chance at victory, the Tigers had to win the third set and force extra games. Princeton kept the score close — to within two points — for the first half of the set, taking its final lead of the match at 13-12. When the score reached 22-18, it appeared as if Rutgers would be able to claim a clean victory in the third set. However, the Tigers took advantage of their opponent’s errors and tied the score at 22. Two kills and an attack error gave the Scarlet Raiders the final three points they needed to win the set and match.

Several Princeton players had noteworthy performances. Freshman middle blocker Brad Howard had a career-high nine kills, while freshmen outside hitters Jeff Stapleton and Davis Waddell combined for six kills, six blocks, three digs and two service aces. Junior setter Scott Liljestrom earned 23 assists and six digs.

“I am pleased with the team’s effort,” head coach Sam Shweisky said. “However, we are capable of a better performance, and we know it.”

Shweisky was particularly pleased with the team’s game plan going into the match.

“We knew they were weak in the middle, so we took advantage of this,” he said.

Princeton will host Springfield College this Saturday in an important EIVA Tait Division match. Five out of the six teams in the Tait Division will advance to the playoffs, and the loser of Saturday’s match will have a long uphill climb to clinch a playoff spot.