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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Ivy Champ Volleyball Eyes First NCAA Tournament Win Friday Against Delaware
November 29, 2007 | Women's Volleyball
The Princeton women's volleyball team has accomplished every bit of history it could so far this season. The Tigers get another chance at history Friday night when they take on CAA champion Delaware in the first round of the NCAA tournament (6 p.m., Carnesecca Arena, Queens, N.Y.). Princeton is looking for its first NCAA tournament win ever, which would be a fitting addition to an already magical season.
Princeton's first-round match will be videostreamed live on RedStormSports.com, as will all the remaining matches this weekend at St. John's and can be found at this link. The video broadcast will be free and can be accessed on the Red Storm tournament central page. The second semifinal match will feature #12 St. John's and Long Island, and the winner of Friday's matches will play for a berth in the Sweet 16 Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Tournament Notes
We Are The Champions ? Princeton advanced to its fifth NCAA tournament by winning its 14 Ivy League championship, and its first outright title since 2000. The Tigers were part of a four-way tie for the championship in 2004 but fell in a tiebreaker to Cornell.
Picture Perfect ? Princeton made Ivy League history in its championship season. The Ivy League moved to a double round-robin format in 2001, and only the 2007 Tigers completed a perfect 14-0 season. Princeton won five matches 3-0, seven matches 3-1 and two matches 3-2 in league play.
20/20 Vision ? Princeton enters the NCAA tournament riding a 20-match win streak. Since losing a 3-0 decision on Sept. 14 to William & Mary, a 2007 NCAA tournament member, Princeton hasn't lost. The Tigers began the 2006 season with a similar winning streak, winning their first 11 matches en route to a 21-3 season.
Broken Record ? Princeton head coach Glenn Nelson set the all-time wins record at Princeton this season when he won his 560th match in a championship-clinching victory at Brown. Nelson, who has been at Princeton 26 seasons and has led the program to 11 of its 14 Ivy titles, owns a
562-227 career record.
Unanimous Winner ? Junior Parker Henritze (OH) was named the 2007 Ivy League Player of the Year in a unanimous vote by the Ivy League coaches. Henritze led the Ivy League in kills (4.62 per game) and aces (.68); she ranks 41st and seventh nationally in both categories.
First Of All ? Parker Henritze is the first player in Princeton volleyball history to be honored as both the Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2005) and the Ivy League Player of the Year in a career.
We're Honored ? Princeton placed five players on the 2007 All-Ivy League team. Parker Henritze and classmates Lindsey Ensign (MB) and Bailey Robinson (S) were first-team choices, and both Henritze and Ensign were unanimous selections. Sophomore Sheena Donohue (OH) was a second-team All-Ivy pick, while senior Jenny McReynolds (Lib) earned Honorable Mention.
Setting The Table ? Bailey Robinson leads the NCAA in assists this season with 14.47 per game. The first-team All-Ivy setter finished fifth nationally last season with 13.67 assists per game. Robinson missed her freshman season due to injury.
Playing The Percentages ? Lindsey Ensign ranks seventh nationally and led the Ivy League with a .429 attack percentage. As a sophomore, Ensign led the Ivy League and ranked second nationally with a .433 attack percentage.
Can You Dig It ? Senior libero Jenny McReynolds, who ranked third in the Ivy League with 5.65 digs per game this season, was the 2005 CVU.com Libero of the Year after leading the nation with 6.83 digs per game. She ranked third nationally in 2003 (5.47) and fifth in 2004 (6.29).
Junior Mints ? Princeton starting lineup includes five juniors: Parker Henritze (OH), Lindsey
Ensign and Jessica Hoffmann (MB), Kelli Grobe (OPP) and Bailey Robinson (S). These five, along with Sheena Donohue (OH) have started almost every match since the beginning of 2006 and will all return next year, as will junior opposite Sasha Sadrai, who has also played in every match.
Brotherly Love ? Junior Kelli Grobe is the younger sister of Jonathan Grobe, a member of the 2005 NCAA champion Pepperdine men's volleyball team.
Road Warriors? ? No Ivy League team has won an NCAA tournament volleyball match outside of its own gym. The only Ivy team to ever win an NCAA match was the 2004 Yale team, which defeated Albany 3-1. Ivy teams are 1-13 in the NCAAs.
History Lesson ? Princeton head coach Glenn Nelson is the only coach to lead both a men's and women's team to the NCAA tournament in the same academic year. He led the Princeton women to the 2007 NCAA tournament and the Princeton men to their only EIVA title and NCAA semifinal appearance in 1998.
Close Call ? Princeton last faced Delaware on Sept. 25, 2004 in Lawrenceville, N.J. The match would go to the end, with the Blue Hens pulling out a 25-30, 17-30, 30-23, 30-17, 16-14 victory. Princeton's Jenny McReynolds led Princeton with 23 kills, while Delaware's Colleen Walsh recorded nine kills in the match.