Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
UC San Diego
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Men's Volleyball Opens Season With Tight 3-1 Loss At No. 15 UC-San Diego
January 31, 2008 | Men's Volleyball
It's one thing to play your first match of the season on the road. It's another when your opponent already has seven matches under its belt and has already defeated the defending national champion. The Princeton men's volleyball team faced those odds Wednesday night and put forth a strong effort in a 3-1 loss to No. 15 UC-San Diego.
Princeton, a 2007 EIVA semifinalist, opened its 2008 season with a 32-30, 24-30, 30-22, 30-27 loss at UC-San Diego. Senior captain led Princeton with 18 kills, while junior middle Mike Vincent had 11 kills, five blocks and a .529 attack percentage. Junior setter Brandon Denham recorded 54 assists, eight digs and five blocks, while junior libero Ka'ohu Berg-Hee had a team-high 11 digs.
Princeton posted more kills (61/49) and a better attack percentage (.204/.145), but it was betrayed by the service game. The Tritons had seven aces and 11 errors, while Princeton recorded six aces and 26 service errors.
Trailing 23-18 in the opening game, Princeton battled back to even the score at 27. Both teams sided out until San Diego held a 31-30 lead and got the game on a kill from Frank Fritsch. The momentum of the late comeback would stay with Princeton into the second game, as the Tigers sprinted out to an 11-4 lead. This time, UC-San Diego was the team to rally, but it would never get the deficit under two points. Leading 24-22, Princeton got a kill from Vincent that ignited a 6-2 run, ending with a kill from Phil Rosenberg, to clinch the 30-24 win.
Runs of 7-2 and 5-0 in the third game led the Tritons to a comfortable win, but Princeton fought back for a tight fourth game. There were a match-high 14 ties in the final game, including at 26 apiece, but a Gerald Houseman ace closed the match at 30-27. Princeton will take on Cal-Baptist, who lost a 3-2 thriller to No. 1 UCLA in its last outing, Thursday night at 7 p.m. PST.