Men’s volleyball clinches spot in EIVA tournament with back-to-back weekend wins over Harvard

In a pivotal weekend for their postseason hopes, Princeton men’s volleyball (7–14 overall, 3–9 EIVA) defeated the Harvard Crimson (6–18, 3–9) in back-to-back matches in Cambridge. Facing a must-win scenario to keep the season alive, the Tigers battled to a thrilling five-set victory on Friday night before completing the sweep with a dominant 3–0 win on Saturday. The back-to-back wins clinched Princeton the last spot in the upcoming EIVA tournament.

Tigers edge out Crimson in Friday five-set thriller

The Friday match started with Harvard coming out of the gates firing. The Crimson mounted an immediate 6–0 run to open the first set. Soon after, the Tigers began to climb back, courtesy of crucial kills by senior pin hitter Andrew Werner and senior blocker Ryan Vena, but Princeton was never able to recover from the initial deficit, and the first set fell to Harvard, 25–18.

“Harvard is a really well-coached team and we have a lot of respect for what they’ve built over there,” Head Coach Sam Shweisky told The Daily Princetonian. “Going in, we knew we had to be sharp in our serve receive and limit our unforced errors.”

The second set began with all the momentum in Princeton’s favor as the Tigers utilized an early 4–0 run to take a 5–2 lead. After Harvard narrowed the gap to 10–9, the Tigers exploded for another dominant stretch to take a commanding 18–10 advantage. Senior pin hitter Owen Mellon anchored the offense with six kills in the set, allowing the Tigers to cruise to a 25–16 win.

However, the Crimson struck back in the third set, jumping to an early 7–4 lead. Though Princeton fought back to tie the game at eight with a 4–1 run, they couldn’t close the deficit again as Harvard continually strung together runs of four or five points throughout the set. The Crimson steadily pulled away to a 25–20 victory, pushing the Tigers to the brink.

Drawing on past setbacks, the Tigers refused to fold. 

“[George Mason University] was a really valuable experience for us,” Shweisky told the ‘Prince.’ “Going into Harvard, we talked a lot about staying present — one play at a time — and I thought our guys did a much better job of that.”

Responding in the fourth set, the Tigers kicked off with an early 3–0 run before extending their lead to five with another offensive burst. With Mellon racking up seven kills in the set, Princeton took a 15–9 lead mid-set. A kill and an ace by Mellon later expanded the margin to 19–11, and the Tigers equalized the match with a 25–17 win to force a fifth set.

The fifth set was inch-close, with razor-thin margins defining every rally. The Tigers trailed by a single point for most of the set until an offensive surge led the Tigers to a 13–11 lead, their largest of the set. At every disadvantage, the Crimson were forced to take a timeout. Harvard battled back to tie the score at 13 and again at 14, but two clutch kills by Mellon sealed the 16–14 set win and a 3–2 match victory. Mellon had eight kills in the set, and a career-high 26 kills in the match.

“Friday was a great battle,” Mellon told the ‘Prince.’ “Personally, I was just focused on doing whatever I could to help us get the win.”

“Honestly, I think it came down to our guys trusting each other in the big moments,” Shweisky added. “When a match is that close, it’s rarely about X’s and O’s — it’s about belief and togetherness.”

Princeton completes the sweep on Saturday

Princeton returned to the court on Saturday afternoon with all the momentum from the Friday match, looking to officially punch their ticket to the EIVA tournament. They accomplished exactly that, dispatching the Crimson in straight sets (25–21, 25–23, 25–19).

“Friday gave us a lot of confidence going into Saturday,” Mellon told the ‘Prince.’ “The mindset stayed the same […] but I think we were able to play more freely and impose ourselves early, which made a difference.”

This shift in rhythm was clear from the opening serve. The Tigers burst out the gate with an early 4–0 run to start the first set. As the Tigers kept command of the set, Vena, Werner, and junior blocker Tristan Whitfield added two kills apiece. This built a massive seven-point advantage for the Tigers at 19–11. Though Harvard attempted a late push to trim the deficit, Princeton comfortably closed out the frame 25–21.

“After Friday, we had a good conversation as a staff and with the players about a few things we wanted to clean up,” Shweisky told the ‘Prince.’ “Friday felt like we were finding our rhythm; Saturday felt like we had it from the opening whistle.”

The Crimson seemed to recompose themselves in the second set, during which the Tigers were tasked with their largest challenge of the afternoon. Indeed, Harvard took an early lead and went up by as much as five points midway through the frame. 

Despite the deficit, Princeton began to climb back even with kills by Vena and Whitfield. The crucial equalizing point was delivered with an ace by junior setter Nolan Kelly, making it 20–20. The two teams then traded points up to 23, after which the Tigers secured two crucial points to win the set, 25–23. 

“I think more than anything, we just needed a moment to breathe and refocus,” Shweisky said. “Our guys didn’t panic, and that’s a credit to them more than anything we said in [our timeout].”

The third set saw the teams trade points tightly through the first five scores before Princeton began to pull away thereafter, building a small cushion. The Crimson stayed close throughout the set, but the Tigers relentlessly maintained their lead. 

Finally, a 5–1 late run by Princeton secured victory, finalizing the sweep with a 25–19 victory. Vena and Mellon had 11 and 10 kills, respectively, leading an highly efficient offense that hit .262 compared to Harvard’s .237. Meanwhile, Kelly led in assists, dishing out 29 over the course of the match.

With a winning conclusion to their last regular season match this year, Shweisky summed up their season with pride. 

“This group has been really special to coach this year,” he told the ‘Prince.’ “I’ve seen so much growth — not just in our play on the court, but in the way these young men lead and hold each other accountable. We’ve had some bumps along the way, as every team does, but I think those moments made us stronger. We’re a better team today than we were in January, and that's all you can ask for.”

With their postseason spot now secure, the Tigers are looking ahead to performing in the EIVA tournament.

“Our focus going into the Harvard weekend was to keep this group together and give ourselves a chance to keep playing.” Mellon told the ‘Prince.’ “Now that we’ve done that, we’re just going to take it one match at a time and try to extend the season as long as we can.”

“Our goal is to play our best volleyball when it matters most and to compete with the kind of effort and togetherness that this program stands for,” Shweisky added. “We’re excited for the challenge.”

James Li is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’

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