In last year’s encounter, then-freshman outside hitter Cody Kessel, the now-reigning EIVA Newcomer of the Year, had a career-best 31 kills. Kessel led the Tigers in recovering from the first two sets, which they dropped 25-23, 28-26, to sweep the last three 25-20, 25-23, 15-11. The entire Tiger squad pitched in to earn the victory — then-freshman middle blocker Will Siroky recorded a season-best 11 blocks, and then-freshman libero Tony Ensbury had a team-best 12 digs. Princeton hit .304 for that match as it struggled to push past the Division-III Eagles (22-11, 6-2 CVC), a reflection of its hunt for a spot in the EIVA playoffs.
Tuesday night, however, was a different story. Kessel ended the match with 15 kills, five digs and two blocks against the Eagles. Junior outside hitter Pat Schwagler added another 14 kills and four digs in the 25-19, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22 win. Schwagler also had three service aces, notably including a pair in the first set when the Tigers were struggling to keep up with Juniata. Schwagler and Kessel also both hit for over .420 while the Tigers hit .299 as a team to help Princeton secure the victory.
Rookie outside hitter Michael Bagnell also joined in with a team-best seven digs while also adding six kills, and junior setter Davis Waddell recorded 36 assists. Junior middle blocker Brad Howard also recorded six kills, including the winning hit in the first set and a block in the fourth that clinched the victory for Princeton. Siroky, who hit .500 for the night, said that the addition of Schwagler in this year’s faceoff was critical.
“We’re a lot more physical this year,” he said.
Princeton will play two more matches to close out the regular season. The Tigers will host Hunter College on Sunday in a non-conference game before playing EIVA rival George Mason on April 20. Princeton and George Mason are currently locked in a battle in the conference standings, with the Patriots currently in second and the Tigers in third. Should Princeton win the matchup, it will clinch a top-three seed in the EIVA playoffs, which would allow the team to avoid conference heavyweight Penn State.
“It’s the same thing that happened last year where it’s a big game for us and it doesn’t matter that much to George Mason so it’s going to be hard to get them as excited and motivated as we are,” Siroky said. “On top of the fact that we’re fighting for a seed and [George Mason is] playing for fun, yeah I think that we definitely have what it takes to come out with a win.”
The Tigers were taken out in the semifinals last year by Penn State in three straight sets, 25-20, 25-12, 25-22.
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