Men’s volleyball falls in back-to-back matches against Sacred Heart on senior weekend

With Dillon Gymnasium lit once more for the final home games of the season this weekend, men’s volleyball (5–12 overall, 1–7 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) faced back-to-back losses against the Sacred Heart Pioneers (9–11, 2–5). Despite showcasing highlight-reel saves and extended rallies that energized the crowd, the Tigers struggled to break through the Pioneers’ early scoring runs and consistent offensive pressure.

Leading the games were senior pinner Owen Mellon, who recorded a double-figure 18 kills on Friday, and sophomore pinner Mason Rice with 13 on Saturday. Defensively, junior middle blocker Tristan Whitfield tallied four block assists on Friday and five blocks the following game.

Princeton comeback forces fifth set, ends in narrow defeat

On Friday, moments after the starting whistle, the Tigers went on an early 4–1 scoring run with a booming service ace by senior middle blocker Ryan Vena. The Pioneers attempted to respond, but continued to trail behind the Tigers’ early momentum.

After a Sacred Heart timeout, the Pioneers slowly began to gain traction, tying the game at 14 apiece. While the Tigers initially broke through, marking the score 16–14, the Pioneers were quick to answer right back, earning their first lead of the set at 18–17.

From then on, the Pioneers’ suffocating offense began to shine. Despite Mellon tallying two more kills late in the set, a final kill by opposite hitter Aleksa Mandic handed them the opening set at 25–22.

“I think the set just got away from us, and they went on a run that we simply didn’t stop fast enough,” Mellon told The Daily Princetonian. “We have to be able to stop those runs early and play to our speed.”

Even with the Tigers regrouping before the second set, their struggles persisted. Upon drawing first blood, the Pioneers went on a merciless 9–1 run that forced an early Princeton timeout. 

While the Tigers were awarded some easy points, such as the Pioneers being out of order, they needed a sharper defense and more digs for a chance at tying set points. Without that, the Pioneers continued to dominate, and, coupled with a multitude of service errors, the Tigers lost the second set at 25–19.

“SHU had a very balanced attack,” Head Coach Sam Shweisky told the ‘Prince.’ “It was their service pressure that enabled them to take control of the game in the first and second. It’s crucial that we’re consistent in our block and defense systems.”

Heading into the third, however, the Tigers completely changed the rhythm, recording a team hitting percentage of .344 compared to the Pioneers’ subpar .083.

After a standout performance from Whitfield, numbering two kills and a double block, the Tigers gained an early 6–2 lead in the third. 

After another 6–1 scoring run with the help of sophomore libero Roan Alviar’s crucial digs, the score was 13–7. Princeton continued to ride the wave of momentum for the remainder of the set, and a final blow by Vena gave the Tigers their first set point.

Late in the fourth set, four kills apiece from Mellon and senior pinner Andrew Werner helped the Tigers to lead at 22–16. Eager to force a fifth set, the Tigers capitalized on the Pioneers’ growing errors, namely their lapses in defense and poor sets, to earn their second set point at 25–18.

“I think we started playing to our speed and level we know we’re all capable of,” Mellon told the ‘Prince.’ “We played to our style and worked hard to get those sets.”

As the crowd stood in anticipation, Princeton’s Werner opened the final set with back-to-back, deafening service aces that instantly electrified the court. Carrying this energy forward, the Orange and Black maintained the lead until the Pioneers tied the game at 8–8. 

Princeton pulled ahead once again as Werner brought the Arizona heat with a kill, putting them at 12–11. Moments after, an acrobatic out-of-bounds save by junior setter Nolan Kelly kept the next rally alive and enabled Princeton to earn another point after a double-block by Whitfield and sophomore pinner Ambrose Engling.

The Tigers’ celebration was quickly put to an end as the Pioneers tied the set again at 14–14, ultimately closing the set with a kill from outside hitter Petr Beranek, handing them the Friday victory.

Attempted rebound during senior night

While the Tigers hoped for a different outcome, the first and second sets mirrored those of the day prior, as they trailed behind the Pioneers throughout.

Within the opening points of the first, Sacred Heart recorded a 3–0 scoring run and maintained their three-point lead until halfway through the set. Despite two kills apiece from Mellon, Werner, and Vena, the score gap continued to widen, and an unfortunate service error by Werner ultimately gave the Pioneers the opening set yet again, 25–19.

“Volleyball is a very mentally and physically taxing sport,” Whitfield noted to the ‘Prince.’ “A win on night one makes night two much easier to approach mentally, which oftentimes translates into physical abilities. Even though our teams both expended equal effort on night one, Sacred Heart had the mental benefit of Friday’s win to replenish their energy going into Saturday.”

Calling a timeout down 9–2, the Tigers remained powerless for the rest of the second set, unable to find consistency from the service line and cut down on errors. While kills from Werner, Rice, and sophomore middle blocker Ethan Wells helped to narrow the deficit, the Pioneers stood victorious once more, taking the second at 25–16.

“SHU played again with very strong service pressure, particularly from Mandic, which we had a lot of trouble siding out,” Shweisky said to the ‘Prince.’ “His service runs made it difficult for us to stay in rhythm.”

The Tigers struggled in their attacking efficiency as they posted a mere .135 hitting percentage in the first and .067 in the second. Nonetheless, hoping to replicate their third-set success from last night, the Tigers gave it their all in the third.

The set was initially a rough start, as another Pioneer scoring run forced an early Princeton timeout at 5–1. But with back-to-back kills from Rice, paired with a service ace from Vena, Princeton slowly showed flashes of momentum.

And with a crucial 4–0 scoring run by the Tigers, the set was tied at 23 apiece, giving Princeton a chance at their first lead of the match. Ultimately, Princeton closed the set thanks to an error in Sacred Heart’s and a key block from Whitfield, pushing the match to set four.

Late in the fourth set, though the Pioneers maintained a small but critical lead; the Tigers refused to back down and tied the set for the final time at 18 apiece due to a kill from Rice and a double block.

Sacred Heart’s playstyle, however, was simply unmatched. Princeton, in contrast, was plagued by service errors, with one from Rice crushing Princeton’s hopes of a rebound, ending the set at 25-22 for a Pioneer victory. 

“I think Sacred Heart deserves a lot of credit here,” Whitfield told the ‘Prince.’ “They played relentless defense, which led to a lot of the back-and-forth rallies resulting in points for them.”

The Tigers will face George Mason away at Fairfax next, aiming to earn their second conference win of the season.

Andrew Kang is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’

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