Women’s volleyball drops pair of weekend games as Ivy League play approaches

Coming off of a successful Maryland Tournament a weekend ago and claiming their first two wins of the season, Princeton women’s volleyball (2–6 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) prepared for a two game slate, including their first home game of the young season as they hosted the Temple Owls (7–4, 0–0 American Athletic Conference) on Friday night. This, paired with a Saturday rematch of their five set loss earlier in the season at Villanova (7–4, 0–0 Big East Conference), set up a weekend of big opportunity for the Tigers to continue building momentum as Ivy League play approaches. 

Princeton falls to Temple in five-set thriller 

On Friday night, the Temple Owls rolled into Dillon Gym with a hunger to avenge their heartbreaking 3–2 loss to Cornell (4–5, 0–0) just a week ago. And, while the Tigers once again proved that they could stand tall against strong opposition, they fell just short of what would have been a pivotal non-conference victory.

It was Princeton who came out strong at home, as senior outside hitter Erin McNair’s kill stretched the early Tiger lead to 4–1. However, in a first set of several ebbs and flows in momentum, Temple always found an answer. The Owls proceeded to go on a 9–3 run, and after a lengthy stretch of points being traded, the two sides found themselves deadlocked at 19–19. In a pivotal moment where a small momentum shift would decide the opening set, the visitors took advantage. Temple cranked out six of the last eight points in the first frame, and although senior middle blocker Ava Harrington found offensive success, Princeton was unable to resist a now humming Owls side who took the set 25–21.

Heading into the second set, the Orange and Black needed to dig deep and find a response. And, as they’ve already done on several occasions in the early season, the Tigers got off their feet and stood tall. Princeton completely took over, surging to a 7–2 lead led by three kills from McNair and one from Harrington. While Temple fought back on several occasions, the Owls were never able to get ahead on the scoreboard throughout the set. Marked by a meager three attack errors from the Tigers all set, Princeton played clean volleyball, defended well, and took advantage of their attacking opportunities to level the overall score with a 25–21 second set victory.

“I think our defense at the net was significantly better than our previous preseason games,” McNair told The Daily Princetonian. “I think this game was most definitely a step in the right direction for how dominant we want our block to be this season.”

The third set was much of the same for the Tigers: jump out to an early lead, outlast Temple’s comeback efforts, and execute to reach the finish line. This time it was sophomore outside hitter Sarah Hom who took the spotlight, with four critical kills throughout the set, as McNair continued a stellar performance with four of her own. The Orange and Black rolled in the third and made a statement, taking the set 25–11.

“Leading up to this game, we talked a ton about our communication between our front and back row,” McNair said. “Everyone being on the same page is incredibly important for our success so this is definitely something we as a team will continue to work on throughout the Ivy season.”

With the Tigers riding a wave of momentum and the home crowd on their side, it looked like Princeton was well on its way to a marquee victory with conference play on the horizon. However, the Owls had other plans. With a back and forth start to the fourth set looking for someone to take control, Princeton held a meager 10–8 lead. And, after more success from the Tigers, Princeton stretched its lead to 18–14 off of a kill from sophomore middle blocker Shelby Burriss and an attacking error from Temple, but the Owls responded with a statement. The visitors left Princeton in their tracks, going on an 11–2 run to cement a 25–20 victory and force a decisive fifth set.

In the final frame, the Owls got off to a strong start and never looked back. With a 9–1 lead in hand, Temple created enough of a cushion to fend off any comeback efforts from the Tigers. With a final set score of 15–9, Temple walked out of Dillon Gym victorious.

Princeton loses Villanova rematch in straight sets 

On Saturday night, continuing their back-to-back, the Tigers traveled to Pennsylvania for a rematch against the Villanova Wildcats. While Princeton kept it close in the first set, Villanova was ultimately able to come away with a victory in straight sets. 

The two teams went back and forth in the first set, with junior outside hitter Ashtyn Sims setting a strong tone with two early kills. Neither team was able to find momentum and get a grip on the set, leading to a tie at 19-19. Eventually, Villanova was able to put together a pivotal three point run that ultimately set them up to claim a 25–21 first set victory. 

The Tigers found some momentum early in the second set, with Harrington recording consecutive aces, giving Princeton a 4–2 lead. Though Villanova kept it close, Princeton was able to put on a 4–1 run, giving them a good start to the set. However, the tides started to turn, as the Wildcats responded with a four point run to take their first lead of the set. The Tigers weren’t able to respond, and Villanova, having another six point run to take a decisive lead, closed the set 25–17. 

At the start of the third, the Tigers needed to find a way to bounce back and turn the game around. The Wildcats, however, were able to fend off Princeton’s early push and go on another run of their own to take a 14–5 lead. While Harrington and sophomore right side hitter Taylor Clarke had some strong kills throughout the set, Villanova took command and sealed the match with a 25–18 win in the final set.

“We are going to focus on controlling the controllables,” said McNair. “As a team we are so excited to open up Ivy League play with our home crowd in Dillon and prove to everyone why we are ranked #1 in the preseason polls.”

Although the weekend wasn’t ideal for the Tigers, they now look forward to beginning Ivy League play. Princeton will host the University of Pennsylvania on Friday at 6 p.m. in what will be a great opportunity to get back on track. 

Lucas Nor is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’

Siya Mishra is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.