Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Schwagler, Shweisky Earn Individual EIVA Honors; Three Make East Team
April 22, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
PRINCETON EIVA POSTSEASON PREVIEW
Freshman Pat Schwagler has been named the EIVA Top Newcomer of the Year, while head coach Sam Shweisky has earned the EIVA Bob Sweeney Head Coach of the Year. Schwagler joined teammates Jeff McCown and Scott Liljestrom on the All-EIVA team, it was announced Thursday as the league prepared for its 2010 postseason.
Schwagler was named Top Newcomer of the Year after a brilliant freshman season, especially in EIVA Tait Division play. The 6-3 outside hitter from Orchard Park, N.Y., had strong overall numbers throughout the season, but almost all of those numbers improved during Princeton's 10 Tait matches. In conference play, Schwagler averaged a team-best 3.82 kills and 4.26 digs per set. He ranked second on the team in both digs (1.69) and aces (0.18), and his 31-kill, 14-dig performance in a 3-2 win over Springfield earned him EIVA Player of the Week honors.
Schwagler joined Liljestrom on the second team, while McCown was the lone Princeton player on the EIVA first team. McCown was the only Princeton player in Tait play to hit better than .400 (111 kills, 28 errors, 206 attemps, .403) or average more than one block per set (12 solo, 35 assisted, 1.12 per set). McCown, a co-captain along with senior Carl Hamming, has been a starting middle for three years and averaged 2.64 kills in Tait Division matches. One of his biggest contributions of the season came, ironically, away from the net; his long service run in the fifth set helped Princeton rally for a 3-2 home victory over George Mason that helped assure the Tigers a home quarterfinal match (Saturday, 7, Sacred Heart).
Liljestrom earned second-team honors in his first year as a starter. The sophomore averaged 13.3 assists in Tait Division matches and helped the Tigers to a .285 attack percentage in their 10 divisional games, although that number improved to .312 in the eight matches against teams other than Penn State. He had a season-high 79 assists in a 3-2 victory over Juniata.
Shweisky, who also serves as the assistant coach for the Princeton women's team, took a team with four new starters and helped it earn the program's highest seed ever for the EIVA Championships. Despite an 0-3 start overall and an 0-2 start in Tait play, Princeton concluded its season with a 13-9 record and the second seed in the EIVA playoffs. Much of the team's success came in its ability to handle the biggest moments; Princeton went 7-3 in five-set matches this season.