After a narrow 3–2 loss in their first game to No. 15 Penn State (8–4 overall, 2–0 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) on Friday, Princeton men’s volleyball (2–6, 0–3) sought to bounce back in their second and final face-off against the Nittany Lions this past Saturday. Unfortunately, the Tigers fell short by a combined eight points, costing them all three of the sets.
Despite sophomore pinner Ambrose Engling leading the team with 11 kills and junior setter Nolan Kelly recording a double-double, the Nittany Lions’ devastating hitting performance and defense handed Princeton their back-to-back defeats.
As the first set commenced, Kelly quickly fed Engling for the kill, intent on setting the tone for the rest of the game. But the Nittany Lions responded with a 3–0 scoring run, eager to seize the early momentum.
Despite losing the early lead, the Tigers refused to back down, as senior pinner Andrew Werner’s service ace, coupled with several kills, tied the game at 6–6. A series of heated back-and-forths followed, exchanging kill for kill, and an air of ferocity filled Dillon Gym. With Kelly’s third kill of the set from setter dumps and Engling’s powerful spikes, Princeton battled its way to a 25–25 tie.
Having already exhausted both their timeouts, the Tigers had to strategize between rallies to turn the set around. However, Penn State’s middle blocker Gaige Gabriel crushed all their advances, costing the Tigers a much-needed two points and ending the first set at 30–28. The Tigers struggled offensively during the set, finishing with a .231 hitting percentage compared to Penn State’s .389, and they desperately looked for improvement in the coming sets.
The Orange and Black started off strong in the second, with kills by sophomore middle blocker Ethan Wells and Werner giving them the early 2–0 lead. But just like the first set, the Tigers struggled to respond to Penn State’s offensive pressure, as the Nittany Lions took back the lead. With the score at 9–5, the Tigers sought to tie the game with Kelly’s service ace and additional kills by Wells.
Yet the Tigers’ momentum was short-lived as Penn State’s impeccable attacking plays, such as opposite hitter Tristan Hassell’s service ace, led to the largest gap of the set, 17–11. The situation seemed increasingly hopeless — but the Tigers kept fighting. Through a triple block and a service ace from Werner, the Tigers sparked a 4–0 scoring run, forcing Penn State to take a timeout.
Despite the run, the Nittany Lions were able to again regain the upper hand. Combined with a perfect spike from Hassell that landed just inside the Tigers’ back line and a block by middle blocker Owen Rose, Princeton trailed by four as the game tallied 23–19. And after a back-and-forth of serves, the Tigers lost the set once more, 25–21.
“I personally think we struggled most with stopping some of their popout players with our defense,” Engling told The Daily Princetonian. “This made it harder for us to string together longer serving runs that could have really propelled us forward to get our own swings on the ball.”
Heading into the third set, the Nittany Lions continued to run hot. Sparking another scoring run of 5–1, Princeton was forced to adjust, and with kills from senior middle blocker Ryan Vena, the Tigers answered with a 3–0 scoring run of their own. Down by one, Princeton struggled to take the lead, but was prevented from doing so by Penn State.
The Tigers continued to trail throughout the set, with the largest gap being 16–11. But once again, with one last push, the Tigers cut the gap to one at 18–17 through blocks by Kelly and kills from Engling and junior middle blocker Tristan Whitfield. As Princeton scrambled to keep pace with Penn State, a kill by Werner finally tied the game at 24–24, causing another timeout for the Nittany Lions.
“Late in the sets, I had to make an extra effort to keep my focus on what I could control and not the score because the goal is to not let that have an impact on effort,” Engling told the ‘Prince.’ “When I was tested, I tried to have a strong internal confidence.”
But ultimately, the Tigers couldn’t convert. Although an exchange of kills between Wells and Penn State outside hitter Sean Harvey tied the game at 26–26, Penn State finished the set off with two service aces by Gabriel and Harvey.
“Penn State is a very athletic and well coached team,” Head Coach Sam Shweisky told the ‘Prince.’ “They play an extremely physical style of volleyball and are very disciplined in their block and defensive systems.”
“We need to improve our out of system setting as well as our reception consistency,” he added.
With seven total blocks compared to Penn State’s 11 and a final hitting percentage of .211 compared to .306, Princeton faltered on both ends of the ball. Determined to end their losing streak, the Tigers face Fairleigh Dickinson University (4–4, 0–0 Northeast Conference) next at Teaneck this Friday.
Andrew Kang is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to sports[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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