About four weeks, ago, at the end of the first half of league play, senior right side hitter Kendall Peterkin said that her team was starting to get into their groove. Seven straight wins later, you might think Peterkin is a bit clairvoyant.
With wins over Cornell and Columbia on Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Tigers (15-8 overall, 10-4 Ivy League) have completed a perfect second half of league play, defeating all seven of their league competitors after a rocky 3-4 first half. With their successful weekend, they now hold a share with the Harvard Crimson of the Ivy League title, their 15th title in program history. All of this becomes more impressive when noting that the Tigers opened their first three games of league play with three straight losses.
Team chemistry, now more than ever, has been crucial to fueling the Tigers’ run of success.
“It’s definitely the key that’s kept us on our run. We’ve really been able to connect a lot with our setters, the hitters especially,” Peterkin said. “I think we really focused on doing our individual jobs and letting everything come together, as long as we’re doing what we know we’re supposed to be doing, … focusing on ourselves and not on who we’re playing.”
The focus on treating every opponent the same was critical as Princeton faced Cornell in Ithaca on Friday. The Big Red (6-18, 2-12), though not a threat to overtake the Tigers in the league standings, certainly had the potential to end the Tigers’ hopes at taking a piece of the league title.
"I think [when] playing Cornell and Columbia, who really had nothing to lose, those can be the more dangerous teams. They’re just playing all out. … [Against Columbia] we were all a little nervous,” Peterkin said. “It’s really inevitable that you’re going to think about the outcome of the game, which is not what we try to think about. ...[But] the Ivy League Championship was definitely the big white elephant in the room.”
However nervous they may have been, the Tigers took care of business, taking down the Big Red 3-0. Peterkin herself was a force on the offensive end, as she and junior outside hitter Cara Mattaliano led the Tigers with 12 kills apiece on the day. The duo ranks second and third in the Ivy League respectively for kills per set, with 3.53 for Peterkin and 3.40 for Mattaliano. Cornell, moreover, was hardly able to keep up as Princeton went to win by scores of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-14.
The Lions (7-16, 5-9) were not much more successful. The Tigers stormed into New York City Saturday evening and downed their foes 3-1. Columbia, however, made their matches far closer than their Ithacan counterparts, 25-16, 19-25, 29-27, and 26-24. On the game, Mattaliano led the team offensively and defensively with 21 kills and 25 digs. Senior libero Sarah Daschbach made a strong contribution as well with 20 digs.
With the back-to-back victories, the Tigers still have one more Ivy League battle to go — a showdown with the Crimson in Cambridge next weekend, to decide who makes the trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Going into the biggest game of the year, Peterkin stressed the importance of not thinking too much about the NCAA Tournament itself, but rather make the game in front of them the greatest priority.
“I think we’re just going to take it one step at a time. We’re going to look at it as just another game in the league,” Peterkin said. “We know Harvard, they know us. … As long as we continue to focus on what we’re doing and realize that it’s just another game, that if we win we can go from there … but for now, we’re just going to keep focus and practice and not stray too far away from what we’ve been doing.”
“I have a good feeling about this game [against] Harvard,” Peterkin added. “We’re still on our high. We have a lot of momentum and I think we can pull out the win. ”
Read More
Princeton softball stands atop the Ivy League standings after defeating Yale
Dalynn HoltzclawThe Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
The Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
Princeton Men’s golf falls just short in Ivy League Championships
Matthew YiDespite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
Despite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing out to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
On senior night, No. 21 Princeton men’s lacrosse secures a dominant win over No. 12 Penn
Lily PampolinaWith a massive win over a ranked opponent, the Tigers will head to New Haven next week in hopes of sealing their Ivy League tournament berth.
With a massive win over a ranked opponent, the Tigers will head to New Haven next week in hopes of sealing their Ivy League tournament berth.
