This Friday at home court, the Princeton Tigers (5–10 overall, 1–5 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) fell in a high-intensity matchup against the Charleston Golden Eagles (13–10, 4–4), ending with a 0–3 final score. In the rematch the following day, however, the Tigers completely rebounded as they came out on top with a resounding 3–0 win.
Friday difficulties against the Golden Eagles
Despite a display of hustle and heart, the Tigers suffered a straight-set loss 3–0 against Charleston on Friday. While senior pinner Owen Mellon recorded a team high of 11 kills and junior middle blocker Tristan Whitfield made three block assists, Princeton was overwhelmed by a combination of Eagles’ outsider Lucas Torres and their impenetrable defense.
With a controlled but powerful swing by senior pinner Andrew Werner, the Tigers drew first blood, hoping to ignite the early lead. However, the Eagles were quick to respond right back with a spike of their own, and they spearheaded a brief 5–1 scoring run that put the Tigers behind by three.
Princeton continued to trail behind, and after a stuffed triple block against Werner’s deafening spike, the Tigers called their first timeout at 10–5. But despite the reset, the Orange and Black’s troubles continued on both sides of the field.
While they displayed moments of a potential rebound — namely, when Werner redirected an out-of-bounds ball for a successful feed to senior middle blocker Ryan Vena — the Eagles always answered back. Even with a brief 3–0 scoring run, the Tigers were still at a five-point deficit, and a series of Eagle kills handed Charleston the first set, 25–17.
“They were serving the ball really well, and we just couldn’t get a good pass for much of the whole set,” Werner told The Daily Princetonian. “That makes it really difficult for our setter to set the ball well, and especially in the out-of-system plays, they got a good block up on us on almost every ball.”
Heading into the second, the Tigers showcased a much tougher fight. Although the Eagles opened the set with a kill by middle blocker Pavlin Ivanov, the Tigers rapidly cut their lead short, tying the game at six apiece.
After a brief exchange of points, the Tigers were first to break through after a poor set from Eagles setter Yotam Briger, putting the Tigers’ lead at 9–8. The momentum seemed to carry over even after the timeout, as Princeton followed with a brief scoring run of 3–0.
However, a service ace from outside Lucas Torres marked a shift in control, as the Eagles snatched the lead once again. As Princeton’s Werner and Mellon hoped to narrow the deficit with their kills, a Tiger service error gave Charleston their second set of the night. Even with their improved hitting percentage from .069 to .263, Princeton found it difficult to acclimate to Charleston’s playstyle.
“I think Charleston showed a really gritty defense that maybe wasn’t on our side,” Mellon told the ‘Prince.’ “I think that’s a big problem we have to address. I remember hitting several balls that I thought were going down, but they were able to get them back up.”
With the Eagles needing only one more set to close the game, they maintained a solid defense that the Tigers still couldn’t answer. As Whitfield drew first blood with a booming spike, a string of back-and-forth points ensued that tied the game at 4–4. Sadly, a round of attack errors caused the deficit to increase to four, forcing a Princeton timeout.
The Eagles’ momentum remained unchanged, and coupled with the successful challenge call on Princeton’s libero placement during a spike, any prospect of a Tiger rebound was crushed. Even with the service ace from Werner and kills by Vena and Mellon late in the set, the Eagles pulled through with a final score of 25–17.
“I think in the third set, we were trying to change our mentality for the game, more so than our playstyle,” Werner told the ‘Prince.’ “We were really frustrated with how we were playing.”
Tigers victory in rematch resurgence
The following afternoon, the Tigers completely flipped the script in the rematch as they completed a 3–0 victory against the Golden Eagles. Mellon led the team in kills again with 13, and Princeton hit at .444 compared to Charleston’s .079.
“I think we saw part of our floor yesterday and more of our ceiling today,” Mellon told the ‘Prince,’ referring to Friday and Saturday, respectively. “I’m proud of the boys for how we responded. But we’re a very up-and-down team, and we’ve got to find a way to trend upwards.”
The first set started with Charleston claiming the first point as Torres delivered a strong kill, to which Vena responded with one of his own. After a run by the Tigers, however, the Eagles called an early timeout down 5–2. When play continued, sophomore middle blocker Ethan Wells continued Princeton’s scoring run with an ace, and a powerful spike by Torres went out as the run got to 6–0.
Charleston stopped the bleeding as they won the next point, but Princeton had all the momentum, with their blockers able to slow many of Charleston’s attacks. This was epitomized in a point where the Tigers blocked three of the Eagles’ attacks, before Mellon won the point with a booming spike to make it 10–3.
“Sometimes just one or two blocks can change the whole complexion game, because it gets in the psyche of a hitter,” head coach Sam Shweisky told the ‘Prince.’ “If a hitter never gets blocked, they get more confident, but one or two blocks, then they make errors.”
Throughout the entirety of the first set, Princeton’s suffocating defense prevented Charleston from getting into their rhythm. The Eagles never strung together more than two consecutive points, and the Tigers capitalized with strong plays, culminating on a kill from Vena to win Princeton the set 25–11.
The second set was much more closely contended. Mellon secured the first point for the Tigers with a ferocious spike, but the two teams proceeded to trade points until the score was 6–6. Compared to the first set, the Eagles’ offense seemed much more composed, making fewer errors and being able to get over the Tigers’ blocks consistently.
“The team that can manage the momentum the best is going to be successful,” Shweisky said. “When they get a four or five point lead, it’s hard to catch up.”
Despite the odds, the Tigers went on a run to claw their way back to 16–15 with an ace by Mellon. Torres won back two points for the Eagles with a powerful spike and ace, forcing a timeout for Princeton. This timeout proved to be a shift in momentum as the Tigers capitalized on frequent errors by the Eagles to go on a run.
“As you get into the twenties, you’re trying to keep everyone’s nerves kind of calm and just positive and upbeat,” Shweisky told the ‘Prince.’ “We have to make sure they believe in themselves like we believe in them.”
As the score climbed into the twenties, a powerful kill by Werner and a thunderous block by Vena and Whitfield secured the second set for the Tigers, 27–25.
Charleston substantially improved in the second set, especially on the offensive end as they had 14 kills to Princeton’s 11. However, it was their errors that cost them the set, as they hit .188 compared to Princeton’s .222.
“They’re great attackers,” Werner told the ‘Prince.’ “We were trying to do the best we could against them and line up the block.”
The Tigers’ momentum carried into the third set as they started off on a 7–3 run, including an ace by Kelly. From there, they didn’t look back, winning 25–14.
The third set was in many ways similar to the first set, as Princeton’s defense locked up with important blocks and digs while Charleston’s defense seemed less concentrated.
“We’re just focusing on the next point,” Mellon told the ‘Prince.’ “That’s all we can really control, and so we were in the moment to play the point we were in. We stayed confident, and it worked out.”
The Tigers will continue conference play with two matches against Sacred Heart (8–11, 1–5) next weekend.
“It’s senior weekend, which is always fun and emotional,” Shweisky told the ‘Prince.’ “And the matches are super important.”
“We’re on the cusp of trying to hopefully make the playoffs,” he continued. “But it’s going to be close, and so we’re really just trying to think about the next match, the next set, the next point.”
Andrew Kang is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
James Li is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to sports[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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