Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
N.Y.U.
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Men's Volleyball Claims Home Opener 3-1 Over NYU
February 13, 2007 | Men's Volleyball
Junior captain Peter Eichler recorded a match-high 26 kills while sophomore setter Brandon Denham added 66 assists in a 3-1 home-opening victory against N.Y.U. Tuesday night in Dillon Gym. The Tigers, who rallied from one game down and a game ball in the second game, improved to 3-4 with the comeback victory.
Princeton dropped the opener 30-26 and trailed 29-28 in the second game, but rallied to clinch that game 33-31. The Tigers won two more hard-fought games, 30-27 and 31-29.
Eichler recorded a double-double with 26 kills and 10 assists, while fellow outside hitter Phillip Rosenberg recorded an impressive 22 kills and .412 attack percentage to go along with eight digs and two blocks. Denham had eight digs to go along with his match-high 66 assists, while sophomore Mike Vincent ended with a match-best eight blocks (three solo, five assists).
The Tigers struggled out of the gates, hitting .167 in the opener, and they were within one point of dropping into a 2-0 hole. Trailing 29-28, Princeton got consecutive kills from Eichler and Jeff McCown to take a 30-29 lead. Rosenberg, who carried Princeton with his hitting early in the match, built the lead to 32-31, and Eichler ended the game with another kill.
Princeton built a big lead midway through the third game, but a resilient NYU squad battled back with a 5-0 run to even the score at 25-25. Princeton got two kills from McCown to grab a 28-26 lead, and an error by the Violets ended the 30-27 game. The fourth game followed a siimilar pattern, with NYU rallying from an early deficit, only to see Princeton regain the lead late. After evening the score at 29-29, NYU never got a chance to score the 30th point. A service error and an ace by Vincent ended the match.
Princeton will move back into EIVA Tait action next Tuesday at Rutgers-Newark.