Women's volleyball follows up loss to top-ranked Harvard with Dartmouth sweep

Playing its final two home games this past weekend, women’s volleyball (13-9 overall, 8-4 Ivy League) continued its push for the Ivy League championship. Princeton trailed top-ranked Harvard and Yale. On Friday night, the Crimson (17-4, 10-2) defeated the Tigers after a highly competitive five sets. However, with the support of an energized senior night crowd, Princeton bounced back on Saturday and swept Dartmouth (13-10, 4-8) in a decisive three sets.

Friday night’s contest against Harvard pitted two Ivy League powerhouses, and a win would have greatly bolstered the Tigers' chances of clinching the championship. Given that the Crimson had swept the Tigers just three weeks earlier, Princeton certainly faced an uphill battle. When asked about the team’s strategy, junior libero Sarah Daschbach said, “Our team worked on playing smart offensively and adjusting to the opponent’s tendencies. Defensively, we focused on effort, making sure to dive for every ball.”

The first set saw two sides battling for possession of the lead, with neither team accruing more than a three-point advantage during the 47 points played. In the end, Harvard came out on top 25-22, but the early intensity foreshadowed a highly competitive match. Subsequently, Harvard and Princeton won alternating sets, with the Tigers rebounding strongly from each Crimson victory. In particular, the Tigers built a significant 19-12 lead in the fourth set with the help of several impressive kills from junior right-side hitter Kendall Peterkin and clutch saves from sophomore middle blocker Brittany Ptak. Unfortunately, the Crimson finished with a strong fifthset and defeated the Tigers 15-11.

Although the stunning loss left the optimistic Dillon Gymnasium crowd silent, the Tigers and their proud families came back with even greater energy for a highly anticipated senior night on Saturday. Prior to the game against Dartmouth, the crowd honored the five seniors on the team: outside hitter Sarah Hanna, right side hitter Francie Jenkins, middle blocker Nicole Kincade, setter Ginny Willis and middle blocker Tiana Woolridge. When asked to elaborate on the emotions running through senior night, Daschbach commented, “With the four seniors on the court and Tiana cheering on the sidelines, it made us a lot more motivated, and we wanted to win it for them.”

In the first set, the Tigers took advantage of the senior night energy and maintained an early lead to defeat the Big Green. Dartmouth would come back with a strong beginning to the second set, but the Tigers rallied with strong serves from Willis and kills from Kincade. Following the 8-0 run, Princeton took the second set as well. Clinging for life, Dartmouth came back after the break, determined to win. In the down-to-the-wire third set, the Tigers finished strong with a 28-26 victory and completed their sweep —a fitting, final home win for a hardworking senior class.

Looking ahead to Friday’s match at Yale and Saturday’s at Brown —the final two of the season —the Tigers grasp onto hope for the championship. Given that Harvard and Yale each won both of its games this past weekend, the chances of prevailing seem even slimmer. However, Daschbach suggested that the final two games of the season may be about more than winning a championship. “We’ve created such a strong chemistry both on and off the court since August. Now’s the time to put everything we’ve learned and show it off this weekend and execute,” Daschbach said.