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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
St. Francis
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Splits Second Day Of Hofstra Invitational, Opens Season 3-1
September 04, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
PRINCETON 3, ST. FRANCIS 1 BOX SCORE
HOFSTRA 3, PRINCETON 1 BOX SCORE
FRIDAY'S RESULTS: PRINCETON 3, FAIRFIELD 0 l PRINCETON 3, NJIT 1
Despite a late rally against the undefeated Hofstra Pride, the Princeton women's volleyball team was unable to complete a perfect opening weekend. The Tigers split the second day of the Hofstra Invitational, which included Saturday's 3-1 victory over St. Francis.
Princeton finished the Invitational in second place, thanks to wins over Fairfield (3-0), NJIT (3-1) and St. Francis (3-1). The Tigers opened the nightcap with a game-one win over the Pride, but the host school took the final three to clinch the Invitational title.
PRINCETON 3, ST. FRANCIS 1
Except for a slight hiccup in the third set, Princeton was dominant in Saturday's opener. Head coach Sabrina King started six underclassmen and played all five of her freshmen in a 25-12, 25-10, 24-26, 25-12 victory.
Following her 12-kill performance against NJIT, sophomore Chelsea Parker led Princeton with 15 kills and added 14 digs and three blocks in the victory. Classmate Leah Jordan, battling for the starting spot as the second middle, had one of her best career matches with 10 blocks and 12 blocks (one solo, 11 assisted).
The freshmen also made their case to play in a variety of instances. Middle Tiana Woolridge recorded seven kills, five blocks and no errors, while fellow middle Nicole Kincade added four kills and six blocks. Outside Sarah Hanna had eight kills, while setter Ginny Willis led Princeton with 26 assists. Rightside Francie Jenkins added three kills, two blocks and two digs, while senior liibero Hillary Ford added a team-best 18 digs.
HOFSTRA 3, PRINCETON 1
With first-team All-Ivy standouts Cathryn Quinn and Lydia Rudnick back in the lineup, Princeton gave unbeaten Hofstra a tough match, but the experienced Pride closed the match with a 3-1 win.
The Tigers came out strong in the opener for a 25-19 win, but Hofstra dominated the middle two sets for wins of 25-15 and 25-14. The Tigers fought their way back into the fourth and were even deep into the set, but Hofstra took the match with a 25-23 victory.
Quinn led Princeton with 14 kills and six blocks in the match, while Rudnick added eight kills, 12 digs and three blocks. Ford led the Tigers with 22 digs, while senior setter Michaela Venuti had a team-best 20 assists. Junior setter Molly Bagshaw had 16 assists and five digs, while Kincade added six kills and three blocks.
Princeton will return to action Wednesday against Big East power St. John's before getting back into tournament play next weekend at the Rutgers Tournament.