Princeton University Athletics
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Volleyball Aims For Second Place In Friday Night Home Match
March 12, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
Four weeks after opening its Tait Division season with a disappointing 3-0 loss at Springfield College, the Princeton men's volleyball team gets it second shot at the Pride tonight in the final match of a four-game homestand.
Second place is on the line tonight, as the winner will join Penn State as the only teams with winning divisional records.
The Pride has been extremely impressive so far; with 12 wins and an overall winning percentage of .667, Springfield has vaulted to the top spot of the Division III national poll. Furthermore, Springfield is finished with the Penn State portion of its schedule, while every team has at least one more match with the Nittany Lions.
Setter Eric Shoemaker is pacing the offense with 12.8 assists per set and leads the team with 22 aces, while A.J. Nally is averaging more than 3.8 kills per set. Middle Cal Palumbo is second on the team in both kills and blocks and is hitting .452 on the season.
Princeton has become a far different team since its first match with Springfield. Improved passing and greater experience from sophomore setter Scott Liljestrom has allowed middles Jeff McCown and Michael Dye to become a greater part of the offense. In the five contests since Springfield, both McCown and Dye are averaging more than 2.8 kills per set and are hitting at least .500.
Junior outside Vincent Tuminelli has taken on a greater role in the offense since the Springfield match. Including a brilliant 24-kill effort in a five-set win over Juniata last weekend, Tuminelli is averaging 4.0 kills per set.
Following tonight's match, Princeton will have 14 days off before heading to Happy Valley for a road match at reigning EIVA champion Penn State. The Tigers will return to Dillon Gym April 2 for their final home Tait match, a 7 p.m. showdown with George Mason.