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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Back Home, Sabrina King Hopes To Guide Volleyball Back To Ivy Title
September 01, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
For four years as an undergraduate, she was there. One of the top hitters in the league, she was the driving force behind three Ivy League championship teams.
For seven more years, she was the right (and oftentimes the left) hand for legendary head coach Glenn Nelson. Her tenure as assistant coach included two Ivy League championships, including one with the first ever 14-0 season in Ivy history.
Now, after two long years, Sabrina King is back home.
King, the new head coach of the Princeton volleyball team, will lead her talented, enthusiastic squad into its first weekend of competition Friday. The Tigers will play four matches in the Hofstra Invitational, opening with a Friday morning showdown against Fairfield.
She will bring a team that blends both youth and experience, and it's a team with a chip on its shoulder after a disappointing end to the 2010 season.
The team is led by a pair of first-team All-Ivy League players in Cathryn Quinn and Lydia Rudnick. Quinn, a senior tri-captain, will become a four-year starter when she takes her place as Princeton's top middle blocker, and she is coming off a terrific junior season. She was the only player in the Ivy League to be ranked in the Top 10 in both kills (2.84) and blocks (.90) per game, and she is the vocal and emotional leader of the team.
When Quinn and Rudnick are both in the front, the Princeton offense is at its best. Rudnick was the top hitter in the league last season by a wide margin; her 4.31 average were more than half a kill better than anybody in the league, and she ranked in the Top 20 nationally.
If anything, King is hoping to spread the offense around more to keep Rudnick fresh and healthy, especially before the Ivy League season opens Sept. 23 against defending champion Penn (7 p.m., Dillon Gym).
One important piece in the balanced offense will be senior setter and tri-captain Michaela Venuti, who will need to develop strong chemistry with some younger hitters. She ranked third in the Ivy League last year with 9.54 assists per set and could jump to the league lead with greater consistency this season.
Consistency is the trademark of Princeton's third tri-captain, senior libero Hillary Ford. Another four-year starter, Ford averaged just below 4 digs per set last season and provides much-needed ball control, especially when some of Princeton's younger players are in the back row.
Those are Princeton's four most experienced returners, and they still remember the way last season unfolded. After jumping out to a 5-0 start in Ivy play, including wins over eventual co-champions Penn and Yale, the Tigers faltered down the stretch and lost their last four league matches.
Princeton believes it can have a far greater ending this season, but those four know they will need major contributions from the rest of the roster to make it happen.
One key contributor last season was rightside Jennifer Palmquist, who finished third on the team with 2.2 kills per set. In her first season as a starter, Palmquist showed flashes of brilliance, including a three-match stretch in Ivy play when she averaged 12 kills and more than two blocks per match. If that level of play becomes more consistent, the junior could be one of the most dangerous rightsides in the Ivy League.
Sophomores Sydney Brombal and Chelsea Parker split time as the second outside hitter, and both showed different strengths during their time on the court. Parker was the more explosive hitter, averaging 1.92 kills per set, while Brombal was the more consistent passer and defensive player, with 2.57 digs per set. The two will compete with freshman Sarah Hanna, a three-time all-league hitter from Issaquah, Wash., for the starting job opposite Rudnick.
The second middle blocker position figures to be a competition between sophomore Leah Jordan and freshmen Nicole Kincade and Tiana Woolridge. Jordan saw some varsity time while playing behind Quinn and Liz McStravick '11 last season, and she averaged .57 kills and .45 blocks per set. King likes the strides she has made in the offseason, but she has been very impressed with her pair of 6-2 freshmen as well.
Kincade may have the best credentials of anybody in the Class of 2015. She led Ramapo to a New Jersey state championship with a 27-4 record and was named the North Jersey Player of the Year as a senior. Kincade recorded more than 1,000 kills in high school, and she seems athletic enough to compete against Ivy middles immediately.
Woolridge is also a gifted athlete; she is the daughter of former NBA superstar Orlando Woolridge and sister of former Princeton basketball player Zach Woolridge. While not as experienced in the sport as many of her teammates, Woolridge played for one of the premier clubs in the country and was part of a national championship-winning squad this past year.
Sophomore Christine Renschler and freshman Francie Jenkins will compete for the rightside position, while both Molly Bagshaw and Ginny Willis are competing for time at the setter position. Both Jenkins and Willis are coming off strong high school seasons; Willis led Berkeley Prep to back-to-back Florida state championships, while is a three-time conference MVP who led Northeastern High to the North Carolina state final. Sophomore Kelsey Janke will provide depth at the libero position.
Princeton will play three tournaments before league play begins, including tournaments at both Rutgers and Lehigh in coming weeks. Following the home opener Sept. 20 against Seton Hall, the Tigers will prepare for the Ivy opener Sept. 23 against Penn. Last year's matches with Penn were both classics; the Tigers opened the season rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 at The Palestra, and the Quakers fought off match ball to clinch a share of the Ivy League title at Dillon Gym in the regular season finale.