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Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Volleyball Hoping For Sweep, Help During Final Ivy Road Trip
November 11, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
For the first time all season, control of their own destiny no longer belongs to the Princeton women's volleyball team. The Tigers will head north for the difficult Harvard-Dartmouth road trip knowing they need a sweep and some help from an Empire State rival.
Princeton is 13-9 overall, 8-3 in the Ivy League, and stands third behind both Yale and Penn. The Quakers are one match ahead of Princeton, but they will come to Dillon Gym next Wednesday for the final Ivy League match of the season. If Princeton sweeps its final three matches, it will be assured of no worse than second place in the league.
Yale is a different story. The Bulldogs are 10-2 in Ivy play and have won eight in a row. They head to Columbia and Cornell this weekend, and a sweep would both clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title and eliminate Princeton from championship contention. Princeton's most likely ally is Columbia, an ironic twist, considering Columbia swept Princeton this season to leave it in this current position. The Lions have been a strong team at home this season, winning 11 of 12 matches, and will try to give the Tigers a second life Friday night at 7 p.m.
Of course, if Princeton doesn't sweep this weekend, outside results won't matter. Princeton swept Harvard and Dartmouth at home earlier this season, though it had to go the distance with the Crimson. Princeton will open the weekend Friday night at Dartmouth in a showdown between the top two hitters in the league. Princeton's Lydia Rudnick leads the Ivies with 4.4 kills per set, while Dartmouth's Madeline Baird ranks second with 3.8.
Harvard returns home this weekend after a four-match road trip. The Crimson has been led by Anne Ingersoll, who is averaging more than 2.7 points per set.