Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Cal-Baptist
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Explosive Kessel Debut Not Enough For Volleyball In 2012 Opener At Cal-Baptist
January 31, 2012 | Men's Volleyball
Despite a stirring performance from freshman Cody Kessel, the 2012 Princeton men's volleyball team was unable to win its season opener late Monday night in Riverside, Calif. Cal-Baptist, playing its seventh match of the season, won a tight third set to seize control of a 3-1 victory.
The two teams split a pair of 25-21 sets before playing a highly competitive third. Cal-Baptist broke out late to grab a five-point lead, but Princeton fought off two game balls before Joseph Fitzpatrick recorded one of his 13 kills to put the set away. That momentum carried the Lancers through a 25-13 win in the fourth to take the match.
Kessel led Princeton with 16 kills and hit .303 for the match, and he added a team-high five blocks and seven digs for the Tigers, who return to the court Tuesday night at Cal State-Long Beach. Kessel put away Princeton's second-game win with a kill, and he had both of Princeton's solo blocks in the match.
Sophomore Davis Waddell, who moved from opposite to outside during the preseason, nearly matched his career high in kills (11, set last year against Harvard). Waddell had 10 kills and added four digs, while junior middle Michael Dye added nine kills and hit a team-best .571.
Two other freshmen made their collegiate debuts. Libero Tony Ensbury led the team with nine digs, while middle Will Siroky added three kills and three blocks. Senior Scott Liljestrom paced the offense with 37 assists and had the team hitting with terrific efficiency in the opening two sets; Princeton hit .462 in the opener and .409 in its second-set win. The Lancers found their defense in the final two sets, though, and held the Tigers below a .150 hitting percentage in the final two sets.