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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Brown
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Volleyball Rallies Past Brown, Stays Unbeaten In Ivy Play
October 09, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
A match-high 21 kills from sophomore outside Lydia Rudnick and a team-high eight blocks from senior co-captain Liz McStravick helped the Princeton women's volleyball team to a 3-2 comeback win over Brown Friday night at Dillon Gym. The win kept Princeton as one of the two undefeated teams in Ivy play; Dartmouth moved to 3-0 with a comeback win over Cornell, while Yale fell 3-1 at Penn.
The comeback win sets Princeton up for a huge Saturday afternoon match against Yale. The Bulldogs have won four straight against Princeton and won the Ivy League title in 2008. A Tiger victory would leave Princeton 3-0 in the league with wins against both of the last two Ivy champions.
Remaining undefeated was an issue Friday night, as slow starts continue to haunt the Tigers. Brown jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a 25-21 win, but Princeton bounced back with a 25-22 win in the second. Brown rallied midway through the third to win 25-20; for the second straight match, the Tigers were one set away from an Ivy League loss.
And for a second straight match, the Tigers fought it off. A 6-0 run on the serve of junior Hillary Ford, who led all players with 21 digs, gave Princeton an 11-5 lead early in the fourth. Brown was able to get within three, but two late kills from Rudnick gave the Tigers control in an eventual 25-17 win. Princeton didn't mess around in the fifth, winning nine of the first 11 points before winning 15-4. Princeton got two points off blocks from McStravick, who led a defensive charge that carried Princeton throughout.
"When things aren't clicking as well offensively, you have to focus on things you can control," McStravick said. "Things like blocking and defense, that's what you can control. When we got down to the wire and needed a spark, defense gave it to us. And when you start clicking on defense, it helps the offense get going.
"We go into matches not sure what to expect," McStravick added. "I'm hoping we start going into games with more confidence. It takes some time, but hopefully we'll get there soon."
Both junior Cathryn Quinn and sophomore Jennifer Palmquist added nine kills for Princeton, which moved to 7-6 overall with the win. As she did last weekend at Penn, Quinn saved some of her best play for the biggest moments. She accounted for three of Princeton's final four points with two kills and a block.
Princeton will take on Yale Saturday at 4 p.m. Admission is free.