Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
George Mason
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Sweeps Mason, Clinches Home Quarterfinal Match
April 11, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
During a season in which the Princeton men's volleyball team always seemed to choose the longest, most challenging road, the Tigers went for a new strategy in their biggest match of the season. With second place and a home EIVA quarterfinal match on the line, the Princeton men's volleyball team recorded its first sweep of the season with a 3-0 victory of the season.
Prior to Sunday afternoon's 30-21, 32-30, 30-22 victory over George Mason in the Tigers' Tait Division finale, Princeton hadn't swept an opponent since a 3-0 victory at Harvard on Feb. 13; ironically, the Crimson could be Princeton's first opponent when the EIVA postseason begins Saturday, April 24, at Dillon Gym; Princeton will host either Harvard or Sacred Heart for a spot in the league semifinal.
"I am very proud of the guys and their accomplishments," said first-year head coach Sam Shweisky, whose lineup this season consisted of four new starters, including three freshmen. "Scotty [Liljestrom] set a great match tonight, and Carl [Hamming] was fantastic."
It was Hamming's play over the weekend that could provide the biggest boost for Princeton heading into the postseason. After struggling recently, Hamming was terrific in a Friday night 3-2 loss at Juniata. On Sunday, with the possibility of facing a road quarterfinal and being stuck in the same half of the draw as Penn State, Hamming was even better. He recorded 22 of Princeton's 46 kills, hit .559 for the match and added eight digs for the Tigers, who moved to 11-9 on the season.
Junior outside Vincent Tuminelli added eight kills and two blocks, while senior Jeff McCown, who shares co-captain duties with McCown, recorded six kills and six blocks. Liljestrom, whose increased comfort in the offense has gone a long way in driving Princeton's run to second place, recorded 43 assists and helped Princeton to a .260 attack percentage.
After Princeton controlled play in the first set, it needed a late rally to win a highly competitive second set. There were 14 ties and five lead changes in the middle set, which Hamming extended with a kill when the Tigers trailed 29-28. Two McCown kills, sandwiched around a Mason kill, gave Princeton a 31-30 lead, and a Patriot hitting error gave the Tigers a 2-0 edge. Princeton never trailed in the third.
While Princeton is finished with the Tait Division portion of its regular season, the Tigers will still play two more regular season matches. Princeton will host NJIT Thursday night at 7 p.m. before heading to Hay Division champion Rutgers-Newark Saturday afternoon; Rutgers-Newark holds a home victory over Penn State already this season.