Men's Volleyball: Tigers' struggles continue

Princeton (1-7 overall, 0-4 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) has only played two games in the confines of Dillon this season, but they already have as many home losses as all of last season, when the Tigers went 8-2 at home. Princeton has plenty of time to recover, including a four-game home stretch in late March, but the first two home losses combined with the team’s overall record do raise some flags.

With senior co-captain Vincent Tuminelli moving from his normal outside hitter position to libero due to an injury, the Tigers looked to fellow senior and co-captain middle blocker Keenan McCarthy, sophomore middle blocker Michael Dye and freshman outside hitter Jeff Stapleton on offense.

Stapleton contributed a team best 13 kills and four block assists while Dye tallied nine kills and five digs. Junior setter Scott Liljestrom provided thirty-four assists and the only solo block for Princeton.

George Mason quickly went up 4-0 in the first set before a kill from freshman middle blocker Brad Howard put Princeton on the board. Undeterred, Mason went on a 7-2 run that found the Tigers down 11-4.

The Tigers were not able to gain enough momentum to overcome that deficit despite strong offensive performances from Stapleton and Dye and the assists from Liljestrom. A service error from Stapleton ended the set 25-14 in the Patriots’ favor.

The Tigers put up more of a fight in the second set, keeping a back-and-forth rhythm going that saw the score tied at eight. A loss of momentum put the Patriots up 16-10, and despite a service ace and kill from Stapleton, Princeton was unable to pull any closer than four points. A 5-0 run by Mason ended the set on a service ace at 25-16.

In typical fashion, the Tigers were not about to give up and fought hard in the third set. Though George Mason opened with a 3-0 lead, Princeton battled back on kills from McCarthy and blocks from Stapleton and freshman setter Davis Waddell.

After tying the score at 12, McCarthy’s serve and a George Mason error provided Princeton with its first lead of the match. The Patriots pulled within a point but attack errors by the visitors kept the Tigers ahead and ultimately gave Princeton the win, 25-21.

Despite the renewed energy of the Tigers, Princeton again struggled to keep up in the fourth and final set. Though the Tigers kept it close early, staying within three points, George Mason eventually pulled ahead 16-10, a lead it would not relinquish.

Mason’s .407 hitting percentage in the fourth set outpaced the Tigers’ .217 percentage.

Despite a combined five kills from Dye and Stapleton, George Mason put the match away by winning the fourth set 25-17.

The Tigers have a chance to redeem themselves and improve their home record against a pair of conference opponents this week, playing a rematch against Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday and hosting Springfield College on Saturday.