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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Ivy Player Of The Week Henritze Leads Volleyball Into Critical Showdown With Yale
November 01, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
Three teams enter November with two Ivy League losses, and they all know a third could kill their championship dream. Two of those teams will meet Friday night in Dillon Gym, as Yale and Princeton will battle to control its own place in the Ivy League championship race. Yale was unbeaten in Ivy League play before losing two of its last three, including a home loss to Princeton. The Tigers, led by reigning Ivy League Player of the Week Parker Henritze, have won three straight and are five wins away from their 13th Ivy League title.
Princeton enters the weekend with a 17-2 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the Ivy League. That mark sets the Tigers .5 of a match behind both Cornell and Yale, which are 8-2 and have completed their season series with their travel partners (Princeton and Penn will meet in the Nov. 15 season finale at Dillon Gym). All three teams will play each other one more time, with Friday night being the first of those three matches.
Princeton defeated Yale 30-22, 28-30, 30-28, 30-24 two weeks ago, and the Tigers followed that up with a home sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth. Henritze was honored after averaging 6.14 kills, 2.43 digs and a .378 attack percentage in the two wins. She was especially impressive against Harvard, when she killed 28 shots and hit .462 for the match.
Friday night will pit the two leading attackers in conference matches this season. Yale's Alexis Crusey is averaging an Ivy-best 5.46 kills per game in league matches, while Henritze is just behind her at 4.97 kills. Another Princeton sophomore, middle blocker Lindsay Ensign, is third with 4.70 kills per game, but she leads the league in overall kills (4.55) and overall attack percentage (.454).
Princeton and Yale also carry the top two setters in the league, with the Tigers' Bailey Robinson leading all players with 13.91 assists per league match. Yale's Ally Mendenhall is just behind Robinson with 13.89 assists per league match.
Saturday's matchup against Brown can't be overlooked, especially since the Bears are one of two teams to defeat Princeton this season. Led by Katie Lapinski's Ivy-leading 6.03 digs per game, the Bears are a strong defensive team that stands 4-6 in the league. Although their record will likely keep them out of the Ivy League race, Brown could end another team's dreams with a November upset.
Matches will be played at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday at Dillon Gym, and admission is free.