The No. 14 Princeton men’s volleyball team (7–8 overall, 1–3 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) headed to Cambridge, Mass. this past weekend to take on the Harvard Crimson (6–5, 3–1). The two Ivy League teams each took a match, sending Princeton to 1–3 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) conference.
Tigers begin weekend strong, sweeping the Crimson 3–0 Friday
On Friday night, set one showcased a back-and-forth struggle between the Crimson and the Tigers. Despite Princeton’s early 6–4 lead, Harvard leveled the score at 10–10 and began to edge ahead. Trailing 15–18, the Tigers seemed to find their footing. Harvard’s efforts sent junior libero Matt Suh to an impressive dig, setting up junior hitter Nyherowo Omene for a crucial kill. The Tigers cut the deficit, courtesy of powerful kills and an ace from none other than senior outside hitter Ben Harrington, who is ranked number one in the country for aces per set.
The set went down to the wire, as the teams traded points until the end of the set. Princeton closed out 29–27 with another kill from Harrington, who notched 9 kills in the set.
In the second set, Princeton continued their momentum from the get-go, opening with a strong ace delivered by junior setter Henry Wedbush.
Despite a push from Harvard to take a two point lead at 7–9, Princeton swiftly shut down any opposition, securing four consecutive points. Key contributions included a kill from Harrington and a solid block from first year middle blocker Tristan Whitfield, propelling the Tigers to an 11–9 lead. Harrington’s consistent aces and Whitfield’s determined efforts extended Princeton’s lead.
“I went into Friday a little bit nervous, it was one of my first starts of the year,” Whitfield told The Daily Princetonian post game. “Once I got into a flow I started playing better.”
In his first start of the year, Whitfield racked up five blocks on Friday alone and continued to showcase his aggressive gameplay throughout the weekend, ending the weekend with seven kills total.
S2: Princeton 10, Harvard 9
— Princeton Men’s Volleyball (@PrincetonVolley) February 24, 2024
The block is good 💪
💻https://t.co/gyESYWAAbb pic.twitter.com/5MeqTwLaeW
The set concluded with a 25–16 victory for the Tigers, marked by impactful serves and kills from senior middle blocker Gavin Leising, Omene, and Harrington, and ending with a service error from Crimson outside hitter Owen Fanning.
Set three was another strong set from Princeton, with Whitfield and Wedbush making key contributions. Though Harvard briefly took the lead, opening it to 13–10, the Tigers fought back, securing a 25–23 victory to sweep the match.
Harvard returns the favor in Saturday match, defeating Princeton 3–1
On Saturday, the Crimson jumped out to a two-set lead and didn't look back, downing the Tigers in four sets.
Though Princeton started the scoring in set one, Harvard took back an early 5–3 lead that they would maintain. After consistent runs for Harvard, dominance was established for the Crimson with a six-point advantage to make it 17–11.
Impressive efforts from Omene and sophomore pin hitter Owen Mellon, as well as a service error from Crimson outside hitter Logan Sheppard helped keep the Tigers alive. Despite Princeton’s best efforts, Harvard closed out set one 25-17.
Spirits remained high for the Tigers into set two. Though Harvard took an early 7–3 lead, a quick 6–2 run for Princeton evened the score, with help from an ace from Omene.
Though Princeton held a lead throughout the middle of the set, Harvard slowly brought it back to 20–19, a result of Princeton service errors and powerful blocks from the Crimson. Harvard rode the momentum and took the set 25–23.
With the Crimson up two sets to none, Princeton had a promising start in set three, getting out to an aggressive 4–1 lead. Though Harvard was able to cut the deficit, the Tigers quickly responded with assertive kills for Leising and an ace from Harrington, his first of the day. This momentum continued throughout the set and the Tigers closed out with a much-needed 25–16 victory.
The fourth set was back-and-forth down to the wire. Kills from the Crimson were counteracted by more impressive blocks from Whitfield and efforts from Leising. On a Crimson match point, a kill off a block from first year pin hitter Jameson Vaccaro kept the Tigers alive. Despite valiant efforts from Princeton, Harvard closed out the set with a close 26–24 victory.
“I think as a team, we were collectively a little less locked in than we normally are.” Whitfield added. “Next time we have a situation like that we have to find a way to keep the same intensity from night one into night two.”
The Tigers will face George Mason (13–5, EIVA 5–7) this Friday in Dillon Gymnasium, where they have another chance to prove themselves in the conference.
“We go in with even more motivation,” Whitfield told the ‘Prince.’ “We want to go out and beat George Mason so we can prove that what happened Saturday was a fluke and we were not the team that we normally are.”
Francie McKenzie is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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