Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
George Mason (Semifinal)
Players Mentioned
Senior Standouts Power Volleyball Into First EIVA Final Since 1998
April 30, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
For senior co-captains Carl Hamming and Jeff McCown, this was the final chance — and they made the most of it. With brilliant performances, the senior leaders of the Princeton men's volleyball team led the Tigers to a 3-1 comeback victory over George Mason in an EIVA semifinal Thursday night. Princeton advanced to its first Eastern final since 1998 and will play 11-time reigning EIVA champion Penn State, which swept Springfield College in the second semifinal.
Hamming, who was brilliant in the season-ending 3-0 victory at George Mason, was impressive once again in Princeton's first EIVA postseason victory ever against George Mason. He recorded 19 kills, 19 digs and five blocks, and his strong play opened the middles for Princeton, who combined for 25 kills and only four errors Thursday. McCown, a three-year starter at middle, hit .414 with 14 kills and nine blocks to continue his first-team All-EIVA season with a 22-30, 31-29, 30-23, 30-26 victory.
"This is a great win for us," McCown said, "but we really feel like we can compete with Penn State. We're going to enjoy this right now, but we're getting pretty excited for Saturday night. We've never had all five hitters hit above .300 in one match, so if we do that Saturday and Penn State is a little off..."
The end of that sentence will be decided Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall at Penn State. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth; full information on the EIVA final can be found on the Penn State Tournament Central page.
Princeton advanced to its first final since 1998, when it defeated Rutgers-Newark to win its only EIVA title. Since then, every EIVA championship has been won by Penn State, who own a 40-2 all-time edge over the Tigers. Princeton's last win over Penn State came on March 27, 1998, in the EIVA semifinal; that was the last Penn State loss in EIVA postseason play. Ironically, because Princeton defeated Penn State in the 1998 semifinal, both teams are undefeated
"This means a lot," said Hamming. "I have a lot of respect for our alumni and have gotten to know a bunch of them. To be part of this history is a big honor, and we'll go out Saturday and see if we can stretch this season a little longer."
Hamming's play on the right side helped open up the middle, but Princeton got strong play from every position. Both outsides Vincent Tuminelli and Pat Schwagler recorded at least 10 kills, and Schwagler added 15 digs in the process. Freshman Michael Dye recorded 11 kills and hit .562, while sophomore setter Scott Liljestrom recorded 58 assists and six digs. Freshman libero Sean Cotter added 12 digs in the victory.
Mason made a strong run midway through the first set to take control of the opener.
"We didn't come out really well," Hamming said. "Maybe our younger guys had some nerves that they had to get out. It was just a volleyball match and the third time we played Mason."
And it certainly wasn't the first time Princeton dealt with adversity. The team that won four Tait Division home matches by 3-2 scores was not about to let a 1-0 deficit overwhelm it. Mason held a three-point lead midway through the set, but a kill by Dye and a Liljestrom service ace gave Princeton a 20-19 lead. The Tigers were able to build on that lead and eventually got to 29-27, but Mason rallied to force extra play. A Schwagler kill gave Princeton a 30-29 lead, and a Hamming block evened the match at one set apiece.
"We just had an energy that second set," said 2010 Bob Sweeney Head Coach of the Year Sam Shweisky, who guided Princeton to the final in his first season as head coach. "We got a high level of confidence that we were just going to win that one. They hit better and Scott found the hot guy, just as he's done all year."
Princeton carried that momentum into the third set, and kills from Dye and Hamming helped the Tigers to a 14-8 lead midway through the set. Mason never got the deficit closer than three points and dropped the middle set 30-23 to send Princeton to within one set of the final.
A desperate Mason team was able to get an early edge in the fourth, but Princeton would not let the Patriots get too far away. The Tigers tied the score at 10-10, and back-to-back combo blocks from the freshman duo of Schwagler and Dye extended the Tigers' lead to 17-13 a few minutes later. Mason got to within two points at 27-25, but Dye and Hamming recorded kills to move Princeton to match point. After the freshmen combined for big blocks earlier in the set, it was a senior pair that put it away; McCown and Hamming blocked Luke Maloney to conclude the match and send Princeton back to the EIVA final.