Princeton women's volleyball shares Ivy League championship with Yale, prepares for playoff match

Princeton women’s volleyball (16–7 overall, 12–2 Ivy) split the weekend with a win against Brown (13–10, 5–7) and a tough, yet thrilling, loss to Yale (15–7, 11–2) to give them the Ivy League championship, split with Yale.

This championship is Princeton’s 18th title, while Yale, at 11, has the second-highest number of championships. In the past five years alone, the Tigers have taken the title four times: 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.

“After a heartbreaking second-place finish last year, it feels amazing winning the championship. [Three] in [four] years isn’t too bad in my book,” senior setter Jessie Harris wrote in an email to The Daily Princetonian, as she reflected on her four years in the program.

While the match against Brown was a quick three sets, the match against Yale went to five sets in a thrilling two-point match.

Seniors Maggie O’Connell and Devon Peterkin contributed 30 kills each this weekend, while junior Clare Lenihan wasn’t far behind, with 29 total kills during the two matches. Sophomore libero Cameron Dames led the defense with 42 total digs to add to the Tiger stats, while last week’s Ivy League Player of the Week, Jessie Harris, contributed 114 assists.

When it came to going into the match against Yale, Harris explained that the seniors on the team had no regrets.

“Us four seniors have grown so much throughout this program and have been an integral part of its success the past four years, and we want to leave a lasting impact and legacy.”

Playing in a thrilling five sets against Yale, the Tigers really knew that they didn’t have anything to lose, no matter how the match ended up. While a win would have meant an outright championship for Princeton, Yale was fighting to stay alive in the competition, and Princeton had already taken the championship when they beat Brown.

Harris explained that an attitude of not having anything to lose helped keep the Tigers calm during the match, even with so much excitement and chaos surrounding them.

Because Yale and Princeton are sharing the Ivy League championship, the two teams will face off in a playoff match to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

With a NCAA spot on the line, the Tigers are preparing to play their game on Friday.

“I think our main focus is to play our game and at our pace. We have the talent to be the best team in the league, we just need to play confident and discipline[d] in the moment.” Harris said.

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The Tigers also have the goal of playing one point at a time while keeping the momentum and energy high, just like they do every other match that they play.

The playoff match will be on Friday, Nov. 22 in Dillon Gym.

“We have such an amazing group of girls on this team, and I can’t imagine going out any other way [than] champions with them by my side,” Harris explained. “Having our last game in Dillon be a win over our rival in the Ivy League playoff would just be icing on the cake to top off an incredible run here at Princeton.”