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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
YALE
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Volleyball Sweeps Yale In Critical League Match, Maintains Control Of Ivy Race
November 03, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
It was one of the biggest home matches in recent times for the Princeton women's volleyball team, and it was a stage where a young cast of starters should have been nervous. But from their pregame dancing to their tenacious hitting and timely passing, there were very few signs of nerves during Friday's 3-0 win over Yale at Dillon Gym. The win moved Princeton to 18-2 overall, 8-2 in the Ivy League and kept the Tigers in control of the Ivy League race with four matches to play.
"We had a huddle before the match and said there was no tomorrow, there was only today," said sophomore middle blocker Lindsey Ensign, who led all players with 15 kills in the win. "We know that all our matches are for the Ivy title, and nothing matters tomorrow if we don't win today's match."
If there were any nerves, they came out in the first half of the opening game. Yale jumped out to a 13-8 lead and seemed confident, but a pair of kills by Ensign helped ignite a Tiger rally that would eventually see the score get tied 18-18 on a service ace by Sheena Donohue. Consecutive kills by 2005 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Parker Henritze gave Princeton a lead it wouldn't relinquish in that game, and a kill from classmate Jessica Hoffman gave Princeton a 30-25 win.
That momentum carried over in a big way for the Tigers, who thoroughly dominated the second game. Hitting .421 in the second frame, Princeton built leads of 10-5, 22-11 and 26-14 before ultimately claiming a 30-16 win. Two more kills by Ensign gave Princeton the game and a 2-0 lead.
"As a team, that was about as well as we've played this season," Ensign said.
Yale showed resiliency in the third game and held a two-point lead as late as 21-19, but again Princeton had all the answers late. A service ace by Joanna Mandecki evened the score and a missed Yale serve gave Princeton the lead for good at 25-24. A hitting error ended the match and sent Princeton into another crucial showdown Saturday at 4 p.m. against Brown, one of two teams which has already defeated Princeton this season.
Princeton stands .5 match behind Cornell, which survived a five-game thriller in Cambridge against the Harvard Crimson. If both teams win their next two matches, it would set up a showdown on Sat., Nov. 11, in Ithaca for the Ivy League title. Yale is now 8-3 in the Ivy League and is still alive in the race, but the Bulldogs will need some help.
Ensign led all players with 15 kills, while Henritze added 11 kills and 15 digs. Junior libero Emily Turner matched Henritze with 15 digs and led a spectacular effort of team passing, which helped the Princeton offense flow smoothly all match. Sophomore setter Bailey Robinson was strong again with a match-high 48 assists. Freshman Taylor Carroll also had a career effort with nine kills in only 13 swings for a .692 attack percentage.
Princeton will host Brown at 4 p.m. Admission is free.