Brown Named First-Team All-Ivy Again; Grumet, McReynolds Also Honored

Nov. 19, 2004

PRINCETON - Senior co-captain Alex Brown earned first-team All-Ivy honors for the second straight season, while teammates Lauren Grumet and Jenny McReynolds were named second-team All-Ivy when the 2004 all-league team was announced Friday. Those three will join the rest of their teammates as they battle for the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament this weekend.

Brown, a Princeton co-captain who was selected to the 2003 All-Ivy first team, averaged 3.34 kills per game while hitting .297, the best mark for any starter. Brown also led Princeton in blocks and service aces, but her biggest contribution to the team may have been her leadership and her ability to carry the Tigers to victory. Brown showed it most at Dartmouth on Nov. 13, when Princeton faced a must-win situations. While the rest of her teammates had a subpar hitting day, Brown killed 27 balls with only two errors to lead Princeton to a 3-2 win. Four days later, Brown celebrated her first Ivy League championship when Princeton defeated Penn 3-0 at Dillon Gym. Two other key figures in the championship were Grumet and McReynolds. Grumet, another 2003 All-Ivy selection, led Princeton with 3.97 kills per game, and she was second on the team with 3.92 digs per game. Grumet was Princeton's go-to hitter in most Ivy League matches this season, and she had a number of key kills in tight spots.

McReynolds is the unquestioned defensive leader of the team, averaging 6.19 digs per game. The sophomore libero has made a habit of making the spectacular dig that leads to a momentum-building point for Princeton, and she has also kept balls alive on many near blocks. This is McReynolds' first All-Ivy selection.

With Princeton's 13th Ivy League championship in hand, all sights are set on this weekend's playoff at Union College. This is not like the Ivy League playoff that volleyball used to determine a league champion until 2000; all four teams involved (Princeton, Cornell, Yale and Harvard) have already clinched a share of the league title.

This is for a trip to the NCAA tournament, and since the Ivy League has no chance of getting an at-large bid, only this weekend's survivor will advance. The tournament begins Saturday at 4 p.m. when Yale and Harvard will face off. Following that match will be the Cornell-Princeton showdown. The Big Red swept Princeton in a pair of 3-1 matches this season.

The two winners will battle Sunday at 4 p.m. for a spot in the NCAA tournament.

2004 All-Ivy Volleyball Teams
First Team:
Jacqueline Becker, Yale (Jr., S, Newport Beach, Calif.)
Elizabeth Bishop, Cornell (So., OH, Portland, Ore.)
Alex Brown, Princeton (Sr., MB, Los Altos, Calif.)
Shannon Farrell, Yale (So., RS, Lafayette, Calif.)
Michelle Kauffman, Penn (Jr., MH, San Diego, Calif.)
Kaego Ogbechie, Harvard (Sr., MH, Diamond Bar, Calif.)

Second Team:
Lauren Gibbs, Brown (RS, Los Angeles, Calif.)
Lauren Grumet, Princeton (Jr., OH, Corona del Mar, Calif.)
Elvina Kung, Brown (Sr., L, Dix Hills, N.Y.)
Jenny McReynolds, Princeton (So., L, Del Mar, Calif.)
Nilly Schweitzer, Harvard (Sr., OH, Woodside, Calif.)
Heather Young, Cornell (Jr., MB, Sycamore, Ill.)

Honorable Mention:
Nikki Learned, Columbia (So., MH, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.)
Renee Lopes, Yale (Jr., MB, Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Laura Mahon, Harvard (Fr., OH, Moraga, Calif.)
Sarah Nadler, Dartmouth (Jr., OH, Santa Clara, Calif.)
Katie Rademacher, Cornell (So., MB, White Lake, Mich.)
Cara Thomason, Penn (Jr., OH, Los Angeles, Calif.)

Player of the Year: Kaego Ogbechie (Harvard)
Rookie of the Year: Laura Mahon (Harvard)

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