Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Rutgers-Newark
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Rallies Past Rutgers, Heads Into Playoffs With Momentum
April 17, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
The Princeton volleyball team made a point Saturday afternoon at Hay Division champion Rutgers-Newark. The Tigers aren't just satisfied with their best seed ever for the EIVA postseason; they're going in with the highest of goals, and they made sure to carry in full momentum.
At the home of the red-hot Scarlet Knights, the only team in the EIVA to own a victory over top-seeded Penn State, Princeton completed a season sweep with a 28-30, 30-14, 27-30, 30-28, 15-7 victory. The Tigers, who are 7-3 in five-set matches, improved to 13-9 overall, while Rutgers is now 13-12.
These two teams could meet a third time, with a berth in the EIVA championship match on the line. Princeton will go in as the second seed and will host Sacred Heart next Saturday at 7 p.m. With a win, the Tigers would play in the EIVA semifinal match against either third-seed George Mason or sixth-seed Rutgers-Newark.
Princeton got a team-best 25 kills from outside hitter Vincent Tuminelli, who hit .553 for the match and added six digs. Freshman outside Pat Schwagler added a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs, while fellow freshman libero Sean Cotter led Princeton with 12 digs. Sophomore setter Scott Liljestrom recorded 49 assists, three aces and nine digs and paced an offense that hit .800 in the decisive fifth set. Senior middle Jeff McCown led the Tigers in hitting percentage with a .643 average and killed 10 balls in 14 swings.
Trailing 2-1 heading into the fourth set, Princeton built an early lead and built it to a five-point edge (20-15) before the Scarlet Raiders rallied and eventually forced a 27-27 tie. A kill by Tuminelli and an attack error gave Princeton set ball, and Schwagler forced the fifth game with a kill at 29-28.
As he has done multiple times this season, Liljestrom came up with an extended service run at the right time; he turned a 4-3 advantage in the fifth into a 9-3 edge; three Tuminelli kills, an ace and a hittting error gave Princeton total control of the match. Princeton played mostly sideout ball from there to leave with the 15-7 victory.
Check back with GoPrincetonTigers.com later this week for a full preview of the EIVA playoffs, as Princeton looks to reach its first final since 1998.