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Princeton University Athletics
1999-2000 Women's Volleyball Outlook
September 16, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
The classic contest that ended the 1998 Ivy League women's volleyball campaign pitted Brown and Princeton.
The battle to determine the League champion and the only Ivy representative in the NCAA tournament, played before a raucous crowd of Brown's faithful, went five tight games. Third-seeded Princeton, ten times an Ivy champion, took the top seed to the brink before bowing out 15-9 in the final game.
The Bears lose only one starter from last season's squad, and Brown fans likely started thinking dynasty during the run to the Big Dance.
With all due respect, though, to the 1998 Ivy League champions, Princeton wants its title back. And it has the guns to go get it.
Led by coach Glenn Nelson, who is ten wins away from reaching the 400-win plateau, Princeton will put an experienced and determined team on the floor for the upcoming season.
“We return five starters, and we played well at the Ivy Tournament,” Nelson says. “Our strengths are strong defense and determination. We're not overpowering, we'll need a lot of digs and a lot of swings.”
Leading the charge will be senior Melissa Ford, the co-captain and one of the team's most fiery leader. Ford, a 1998 second-team All-Ivy selection, is the quarterback on the floor. Her intelligence and ability to get everybody in the match makes it nearly impossible for the opponents to be fully prepared for one shot or another.
Of course, even when they guess correctly, it guarantees nothing. Although they may not have some of the overpowering offensive threats as some of the taller teams that dominate the NCAA year after year, Erika Hansen and Sabrina King have proven themselves to be more than capable hitters.
Hansen is the strongest hitter on the team, and the heavy ball that comes off her swing usually causes nothing but headaches for the opponents. Also a co-captain, Hansen is one of numerous strong defenders, an aspect of the team that Nelson is most satisfied with.
In fact, when it comes to defense and receiving, there may not be a better Princeton player than King. A second-team All-Ivy and Ivy-Tournament selection, King makes the most of her 5'7” frame with a combination of explosiveness and intelligence.
Emily Brown and Alexis Collins will bring an added year of experience to the floor. Brown led the team with 116 total blocks, including 32 solo blocks. Collins had 45 total blocks, but she got stronger as the season wore on. Both should continue to make opposing hitters think twice about taking dead aim at the center of the court.
Of course, the experience doesn't simply come from returning starters. Players like Somer Bingham, Sarah Petry, Ana Yoerg and Martha Moore bring a wide array of talents to a team looking for another trip to the NCAA tournament. Petry is a strong server who will compete for the left-side hitter position vacated by Rose Kuhn '99. Bingham and Moore are back-row specialists while Yoerg will back up Ford as the setter.
Four freshmen will also attempt to secure playing time this season. Two, Michelle Buffum and Ann Zeigler, are left-side hitters who also have their eyes on Kuhn's old position. Buffum brings plenty of heat while Ziegler is an effective swinger who puts the ball in the right spots.
Sylvana Soto-Ward is a middle hitter who will add some size at the net while McCoy Klink is a back-row specialist.
As a whole, this should be a talented unit that is ready to tackle a tough Ivy League schedule. Nelson knows that, while Brown and Princeton will be the favorites to tangle one more time for the championship, the pitfalls could come from anywhere. Dartmouth defeated Princeton in the regular season while Yale gave it a tough five-game battle. Penn had a strong run in the tournament, and teams like Harvard, Cornell and Columbia have talented veterans returning this season.
Still, the feeling at Old Nassau remains strong that the road to a league crown and the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament goes as much through Princeton as anybody else.
If that's true, and if the guns are firing as Nelson thinks they might, a familiar face may sit atop the standings for the 11th time in 1999.