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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Penn
Players Mentioned
Women's Volleyball Outlasts Penn In Thrilling Ivy Opener
September 29, 2007 | Women's Volleyball
Princeton and Penn both opened their Ivy League season Saturday night in a five-game thriller. Tiger head coach Glenn Nelson, fresh off an exciting 3-2 win for his team, said afterwards he wouldn't be surprised if the same two teams met in the league finale - with a championship at stake.
"That team is good," Nelson said of the Quakers. "They're the only team in the league I've seen so far, but I can't see too many teams beating them. This really was a huge win for us. It's a good start to league play."
The Tigers, who earned a 26-30, 33-31, 30-16, 34-36, 15-11 victory, were a three-player hitting machine. Junior Parker Henritze led all players with 29 klills, while fellow outside hitter Sheena Donohue added 27 kills of her own. Middle Lindsey Ensign recorded 23 kills and hit .318 in the match.
"That's who we are," Nelson said. "We'd probably like to get a little more balance, but that's who will be hitting for us this season."
Junior setter Bailey Robinson paced the offense with a match-best 76 assists and added nine digs and four kills. Senior libero Jenny McReynolds led all players with 28 digs, while Henritze added 15 and Sasha Sadrai recorded 13.
After getting out to a 10-1 lead in the opening game, Princeton fell victim to a balanced Penn attack that quickly evened the score at 12-12. Penn would go to win the game 30-26 and would serve for a 2-0 lead, but a kill by Robinson evened the score at 30-30 in the second game. An ace by Henritze gave Princeton the lead, and a kill by freshman Elizabeth McStravick evened the match at one game apiece.
A long service run by Sadrai midway through the third game helped the Tigers build a comfortable 17-7 lead, and this time there would be no comeback. They trailed early in the fourth game, but came back and had two match balls in the fourth game. Penn had the late answers and held on for a 36-34 win. The home team bounced back for a quick lead in the fifth, and a kill by Donohue ended the match in front of a loud and excited Dillon Gym crowd.
Princeton will host Juniata Sunday at 2 p.m.