After an unfortunate shutout loss against Penn State, the Princeton Tigers (2–7 overall, 0–3 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) were determined to end their losing streak in Friday’s matchup against the Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Knights (5–5, 0–0 Northeast Conference). However, a series of kills by opposite hitter Jamal Ellis, coupled with the Tigers’ struggles to convert, resulted in another straight-set loss for Princeton.
Heading into the first set, the Tigers grabbed an early 2–1 lead after a kill by sophomore middle blocker Ethan Wells and a service error by Ellis. But after several back-and-forth kills, the Knights broke the cycle and proceeded to go on a 4–0 scoring run, putting the Tigers at a three-point deficit.
Looking to bounce back, Wells and sophomore pin hitter Ambrose Engling made quick kills, cutting FDU’s lead down to two. Yet the Knights continued to answer with relentless kills of their own.
It wasn’t until late in the set, with a great spike from senior pin hitter Owen Mellon and a double block from juniors Tristan Whitfield and Nolan Kelly, that the Tigers were just one point away from a tie. But the Knights ultimately prevailed as a final kill from Ellis handed them the first set, 25–21.
With a mere .190 hitting percentage, compared to FDU’s .636, Princeton struggled to maintain a consistent offensive pressure.
“In the first set, I think we were a bit caught off guard by how the match was going to go,” Mellon told The Daily Princetonian. “We’re still learning as a team how to play at our best every single game, and I don’t think we played to the level we all know we’re capable of.”
The Orange and Black started the second set off strong, with senior pin hitter Andrew Werner and first-year middle blocker Bobby Bennett teaming up for kills, giving the Tigers a comfortable 7–4 lead. However, their momentum was soon cut short as Ellis and outside hitter Laydon Biro answered right back, tying the set at 7–7.
After several rounds of exchanging points, the Knights capitalized on a string of Princeton attack errors, going on a 5–0 run and widening the score gap to 17–12 in an instant. But the Tigers refused to back down and responded with a similar run of their own. Through double blocks and kills from Kelly and Wells, the set was tied once more at 17–17.
Sadly, the Tigers’ offensive struggles showed up again as off-target sets and service errors by Bennett and Kelly gave the Knights their second set of the afternoon.
“Towards the end of the set, we started making a lot of unforced errors; swinging out, missing serves, and overpassing the ball,” Wells said to the ‘Prince.’ “I think that this started our downward spiral, and the errors started to compound on themselves.”
The Tigers gave it their all in the third set. Through early kills by Wells and Kelly, followed by a service ace from Mellon, Princeton set the initial tone as they built up a quick 3–0 lead. Nonetheless, as with all the earlier sets, the Knights fought back to ultimately tie the game at 6–6.
After another exchange of kills, the Tigers slowly trailed behind as attack errors from sophomore pin hitter Mason Rice and Werner put the score at 15–12. Eager to regain the lead, Werner hammered a spike that deflected the ball beyond the court, but in a highlight-reel save, the FDU Knights kept the ball in play, costing the Tigers yet another point.
“FDU plays a very aggressive style of play, especially from the service line,” head Coach Sam Shweisky replied to the ‘Prince.’ “They put a lot of pressure on us with their serve and we couldn’t respond.”
Fortunately, the Tigers were quick to rebound, with kills by Whitfield and Mellon that tied the game yet again at 18–18. Through another round of back-and-forth serves, a dump from Mellon set the score to 21–21. Yet, the Knights pulled through in the end as Biro took the final kill, winning the set 25–23.
“We have a lot of work to do, and a lot to improve on,” Mellon said to the ‘Prince.’ “That will come with time as the season progresses, but right now our focus is on continuing to improve and learning more about ourselves as a team.”
The Tigers play Dominican this Saturday at Princeton as they continue searching for their first away-game victory.
Andrew Kang is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to sports[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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