Men's Volleyball: Crimson comeback spoils 3-game streak

For the past week, the men’s volleyball team was unstoppable. The Tigers (6-5 overall, 5-3 EIVA) had embarked on a three-match winning streak and became the sole possessor of second place in the EIVA standings after beating Sacred Heart 3-1 on Friday. Freshman outside hitter Cody Kessel captured the title of Off The Block Fan Choice Player of the Month for February.

However, the Tigers’ luck ended in Saturday’s five-set thriller against Harvard (11-2, 5-2). Looking to avenge its loss to the Crimson on Feb. 11th, Princeton exploded out of the block and took an early two-set lead, but Harvard came back to eventually win 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-7.

Princeton began the match playing remarkably well, limiting Harvard’s attack percentage to .071 in the first set. The Crimson brought a newfound intensity to the court in the second set, dominating the scoreboard for the majority of play. But the Tigers finally managed to take the lead on a kill by junior Michael Dye, making the score 21-20, only to have Harvard draw even again on a service error by Kessel. Dye was then able to regain the lead, putting Princeton ahead at 22-21 — a lead that they would not lose.

Clearly frustrated with the team’s many service errors and officials’ calls on numerous line and net violations, Harvard translated its anger into action, taking all three remaining sets for the victory.

“Harvard is a well-coached team with a lot of talented players, and in the last three sets they stepped up their level of play," Kessel said. "We knew what we had to do and we came out strong in the first two sets, but we failed to execute when we had to."

It was the third straight match in which the Tigers lost their third set after winning the first two.

Nonetheless, Princeton played an impressive match overall. Kessel led the offense, recording 15 kills. Dye followed with 11, also limiting Harvard’s attacks with three solo blocks and five block assists. Joining Dye in the defensive effort was freshman libero Tony Ensbury, who recorded eight digs. Senior setter Scott Liljestrom was also a key factor in the high-scoring match with 43 assists, and sophomore setter Davis Waddell added nine kills and seven digs to the match.

Saturday’s loss also marked the return of one of Princeton’s top returning hitters, sophomore Jeff Stapleton, from a shoulder injury. Tying Ensbury for eight digs, Stapleton also recorded a notable 10 kills and three block assists.

“It's awesome to be back practicing and playing with the guys," Stapleton said. "There is a sense of camaraderie on this team that makes it really great to be a part of."

Princeton’s March 2 outing against Sacred Heart (4-13, 1-8) proved to be much more successful for the Tigers. The hosts won the match 3-1 (26-24, 25-14, 20-25, 30-28) and did not allow the Pioneers’ third set win to go any further.

Dye and Waddell’s seven and 14 digs, respectively, created an opportunity for the offense to make an impact. Kessel once again led the team with 15 kills, almost 37 percent of Princeton’s total of 41. Fellow freshman Will Siroky scored eight kills, also contributing seven blocks to the defense.

The success of the freshman trio of Kessel, Siroky and Ensbury has been the focus of the Tigers' 2012 season.

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“Although relatively young, our team has a lot of talent mixed with a resilient attitude, which is a deadly combination," Stapleton said. "Personally, I'm pushed by the work ethic by the freshmen: Cody, Will and Tony. They came to Princeton with a winning attitude."

Stapleton also pointed to seniors Dexter Scobee and Liljestrom on the court as major influences on how the team plays.

“They've been instrumental on making sure we stay on the right track,” Stapleton said.

The fresh talent, combined with the skill of the returning upperclassmen, has resulted in a better Tiger team — Princeton has already won more matches at this point in the season than it did all of last year. The Tigers have succeeded individually as well. Kessel stands fourth in the EIVA in kills per set with 3.55, while Dye holds fourth place in hitting percentage at .335.

Princeton’s upcoming matches this weekend against New Jersey Institute of Technology and George Mason give the Tigers an opportunity to bounce back after Saturday’s loss.

“Volleyball is a game of errors, and we didn't play as well as we would have liked," Kessel said." But our focus is on what we can control, which is working hard the rest of the week in the gym so we [can] come out and play our best volleyball this weekend against NJIT and George Mason."