Princeton University
N.J.I.T.
Men's Volleyball Holds Off NJIT Rally For Another Five Game Win
March 31, 2006 | Men's Volleyball
March 31, 2006
PRINCETON - The men's volleyball team has played a fifth game in four straight home matches, and if it could so right now, would probably sign up for a fifth one Saturday. Princeton held off a furious rally by a gritty NJIT team Friday night for a 3-2 win and will host EIVA favorite Penn State Saturday at 4 p.m.
Senior Jack Pichard led Princeton with 22 kills, while Peter Eichler added 15. Two other players ended in double-digits in kills (Michael Vincent and Ka'ohu Berg-Hee), while Brandon Denham led all players with 60 assists.
Princeton won the opening games 30-21 and 30-22, but NJIT grabbed an early lead and held off Princeton 30-27 in the third game. The Tigers hit .372 in the fourth game and served match ball three times, but NJIT, bolstered by a .375 attack percentage and timely kills by Eduardo Welter and Leonardo Paludo, grabbed the lead at 32-31 and claimed the game on an errant shot one point later.
Princeton jumped out to a big lead in the fourth game, but NJIT battled back to get within one point. At 14-13, the Highlanders looked to get a swing for a tie, but a ball-handling error was called to end the match.
Princeton hit .313 for the match, including an impressive .421 effort on the outside from Berg-Hee. Besides his 10 kills, he made several athletic digs and passes and looked to be another strong player for the present and future.