Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Dillon Fall Classic
Players Mentioned
Men's Volleyball Completes Successful First Dillon Fall Classic
November 23, 2009 | Men's Volleyball
Loaded with a field of both collegiate and club programs, the Princeton men's volleyball team completed its first Dillon Fall Classic with a third-place finish and significant match experience it can build on for the upcoming 2010 season.
Princeton, playing in Pool 'B' along with Cornell, New Paltz and a pair of teams from the Creole Club Volleyball program in New York City, advanced to the semifinal round by winning six of eight sets in pool play. The Tigers swept both Cornell and New Paltz and split with both Creole squads. Head coach Sam Shweisky was able to mix both youth and veterans into a variety of lineups; while co-captains Jeff McCown and Carl Hamming were consistent starters, freshmen Pat Schwagler, Sean Cotter and Michael Dye each also received significant playing time. Sophomore Scott Liljestrom made his debut as Princeton's starting setter, and he had a familiar target on the outside in junior Vincent Tuminelli.
In its semifinal match against pre-tournament favorite Creole-Red, Princeton used a starting lineup of three experienced veterans (McCown, Hamming and Tuminelli), three freshmen (Schwagler, Cotter and Dye) and Liljestrom at setter. Two tight sets went Creole's way, which advanced to the finals in the best-of-three format.
“I am really proud of how the team played today.” Shweisky said. “We showed stretches of great poise and balance. We have some work to do, but we are all pretty excited about where this team can go. I am really proud of the guys for all the work they put into making the event run so smoothly. They were all perfect ambassadors for the sport of volleyball and Princeton University and that has been our creed from day one.”
Princeton will compete in one more preseason tournament at Stevens Tech (Dec. 5) before opening the 2010 season at reigning NCAA champion Cal-Irvine in January.
"I think we played very well in spurts, but struggled to maintain the consistency that was necessary to win that tournament," McCown said. "Our serving was our biggest problem which put unnecessary pressure on our serve receive. There is a lot to work on before the real season gets underway in the spring, but a lot to be optimistic about."