Princeton University Athletics
Men's Volleyball Looks To Finish Strong, Battle For EIVA Crown
January 17, 2005 | Men's Volleyball
Jan. 17, 2005
PRINCETON - The Princeton men's volleyball team knows it didn't have its full arsenal of options when it fell to George Mason in the 2004 EIVA quarterfinal. The 2005 team is hoping to maximize all of its options by the time the postseason rolls back around.
The Tigers used a thrilling 3-2 home victory against Rutgers-Newark to hop over George Mason and place fourth in the EIVA Tait Division, which guaranteed one postseason match at the friendly confines of Dillon Gym. Unfortunately, that match didn't include the services of outside hitter and All-EIVA performer Blake Robinson, who had broken his ankle a week earlier. Princeton couldn't overcome the loss and fell 3-1 to the Patriots.
Robinson, whose ankle injury hampered much of his offseason, is back, as are five other players who started throughout the 2004 season. While the experience and talent are both there, head coach Glenn Nelson knows that the sum of the parts might not be evident until late March or April. "It's hard to know right now exactly what we have," Nelson said. "When you have to split your team up and just play like that, you can't tell much. We need to get into matches and see. We do need to get better defensively."
The defense will be led by its two middles, Brian Hamming and Sean Vitousek. Hamming joined Robinson on the All-EIVA team last season, and could be one of the best all-around middles in the league this season. Hamming led all Princeton hitters with a .476 attack percentage and averaged 3.29 kills per game. He also averaged 0.91 blocks per game, second only to Vitousek (1.08) on the team.
Vitousek showed the most improvement of any Princeton player over the final month of the season and proved to be an excellent complement to Hamming in the middle. Vitousek's average of 2.51 kills per game is likely to improve as the season unfolds and the offense gains consistency. Regardless of the offense, Vitousek and Hamming will need to be a force on the net this season, especially early on while the offense works its kinks out.
Junior Jack Pichard faces the biggest challenge early on, as he replaces longtime starter Jason Liljestrom as the starting setter. Pichard is no stranger to the court after starting last season as the rightside hitter, but he now becomes the quarterback of the offense. Pichard proved a capable passer as the rightside last season, but his ability to elevate into a top-notch setter is a critical component in the 2005 team's success. Pichard is a solid defender who will likely join Hamming as the team's top servers.
Pichard's teammates can prove most helpful by improving their passing this season, especially early on. Robinson, who is finally fully healthy and will be the team's go-to hitter on the outside, and starting libero Mark Stevens are two of the team's top passers. They are the top returning starters in terms of digs (Stevens averaged 1.92 while Robinson averaged 1.61), and they will be counted on to make Pichard's job much easier.
Of course, Robinson can make any setter look good. One season after Robinson averaged 4.37 kills per game, the senior from Aliso Viejo, Calif., is looking to end his career with another trip to the EIVA Final Four as well as a second all-league selection. Before his injury, Robinson was viewed as one of the most feared outside hitters in the league, and Nelson hopes that a few early matches will help remove any lingering rust from the injury and return Robinson to his elite status.
Freshman Peter Eichler, the only member of the Class of 2008, is the early favorite to start as the other outside hitter. Eichler, a 6-4 hitter from Harvard Westlake, is a strong prospect who Nelson hopes will contribute immediate as both a hitter and passer.
Sophomore Reid Joseph, who started early in 2004 as both an opposite and outside hitter, will start at rightside this season. Joseph, a top water polo player who helped lead Princeton to the 2004 Final Four and near upset of eventual champion UCLA in the fall, is a gifted athlete who can hit and pass effectively.
Princeton will open the season Jan. 25 with a match at UC-Irvine, followed by a match against California Baptist. Both opponents will be extremely stiff early tests for the team, which needs to get into match shape as quickly as possible since the EIVA Tait season opens March 4 with a challenging match at Rutgers-Newark.
Penn State enters another season as the favorite, while Rutgers, Juniata, George Mason and Princeton will all likely battle for playoff positioning. Finishing in either second or third place typically assures a Penn State-free path to the EIVA championship match, while the fourth-place team is the final one to earn a home match in the quarterfinals.
"We are looking at least to match last season and get a home playoff match here at Princeton," said Nelson, who became the third coach in Princeton history to earn 500 wins with one team when he reached that milestone with the women's team. That squad earned the Ivy League title, and Nelson would like nothing more than a matching crown for the men in 2005.