Princeton University Athletics
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EIVA Quarterfinal Slated For 3:00 Sunday At Dillon Gym Against Juniata
April 18, 2007 | Men's Volleyball
The Princeton men's volleyball team will play for a berth in the 2007 EIVA semifinals on Sunday at 3 p.m. when it hosts Juniata, which topped Springfield Wednesday night, at Dillon Gym. The Tigers, who finished the 2007 regular season with an 11-9 record, 6-6 in the Tait Division, have not reached the league semifinals since 2003.
Top-seeded Penn State and second-seeded St. Francis earned double byes and are already assured spots in the April 26 semifinals, which will be held in State College, Pa. Third-seeded George Mason and fourth-seeded Princeton will host weekend quarterfinal matches against opponents determined in pre-quarterfinal matches this week. Mason will host the winner of the NJIT-East Stroudsburg match, while Princeton will host the winner of Thursday's match at Juniata.
The fifth-seeded Juniata Eagles finished 6-6 in the division but lost a tiebreak to Princeton based on game winning percentage within the Tait. Sunday's match could be a thrilling rubber match in an exciting season. Princeton and Juniata split a pair of 3-2 decisions,with both teams winning at home. Juniata rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the Tait Division opener for a 3-2 victory, The Tigers bounced back with a rally of their own following a 37-35 Juniata win in the third game of an eventual 3-2 Tiger victory. Mike Vincent recorded 17 kills during a performance that helped him claim EIVA Player of the Week honors. Over the last two seasons, Princeton and Juniata have played four matches, and all have gone five games. The Tigers are 3-1 in those matches, including 2-0 at Dillon Gym.