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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Rutgers
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Records Split To Maintain Winning Record; NCAA Champ Awaits Tigers
September 11, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORE: RUTGERS 3, PRINCETON 0
BOX SCORE: PRINCETON 3, GEORGE MASON 0
Sophomore Molly Bagshaw recorded 31 kills and 15 digs to lead the Princeton women's volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over George Mason in the Tigers' final match of the Rutgers Tournament. The win ends a three-match losing streak and keeps Princeton over the .500 mark heading into next weekend's Penn State Classic.
Princeton wasn't far from carrying a 5-2 record into the home of the three-time defending NCAA champion, but late leads kept getting away from the Tigers in Saturday's early match against Rutgers. Despite having a lead with four or fewer points to play in each set, Princeton dropped a 3-0 decision to the Scarlet Knights. Sophomore Lydia Rudnick led the offense with 14 kills and a .333 attack percentage, while junior Hillary Ford led the defense with 11 digs.
Head coach Jolie Ward, who said she would test different lineups heading into the Oct. 1 Ivy League opener at reigning conference champion Penn, started two freshmen against Rutgers. Outside Sydney Brombal recorded seven kills and five digs, while middle Leah Jordan added three kills and two blocks.
Junior Michaela Venuti led Princeton with 23 assists. The Tigers were within two points of taking the opener, but Rutgers eliminated a 23-21 deficit with four straight points to build a 1-0 lead. A kill by junior Cathryn Quinn put Princeton ahead 22-21 in the second, but Rutgers answered with four of the next five points. A resilient Princeton squad battled back again and led 23-22 on a kill by Brombal, but Rutgers finished the match with three straight to take the match.
Princeton didn't let that match linger into the 2 p.m. showdown with George Mason. Rudnick led all players with 15 kills and hit .295, while the trio of Brombal, Quinn and Jennifer Palmquist each recorded seven kills. Bagshaw was the team leader in both assists and digs, although both Ford and C.C. Lobben recorded double-digit digs.
The Tigers nearly let another late lead slip away in the opening set against George Mason. They led 24-20, but the Patriots scored the next four to force extra play. A Quinn kill opened a 26-25 lead, and a service ace by Ford gave Princeton a much-needed win. Princeton built on that momentum over the next two sets and built sizable leads by the midway point of both sets.
Princeton will play one of its most challenging pre-league tournaments ever this weekend when it heads to Penn State. Besides playing the three-time defending national champs, Princeton will also play recent Big East power St. John's and George Washington.