Princeton University Athletics
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Volleyball Eyes Top EIVA Duo To Conclude Season-Opening Road Trip
February 24, 2012 | Men's Volleyball
The Princeton men's volleyball team has already topped last season's effort with two EIVA victories, and both have come on the road. The Tigers will look for an ideal conclusion to their season-opening eight-match road trip with a challenging weekend pair against Penn State and Saint Francis.
Princeton is 3-3, 2-1 in the EIVA, with road wins at both Sacred Heart and Rutgers-Newark. The Tigers' win at Rutgers last weekend came in five sets, giving Princeton its second five-set win of the season. Senior setter Scott Liljestrom led the Tigers with 45 assists, but it was his two key blocks late in the fifth that helped Princeton to the win.
Of course, the challenge is raised when you head to State College, home of the 13-time reigning EIVA champion. Penn State is currently 10-1 overall, 4-0 in the EIVA. Each of its league matches have been decided in three sets, and only one of the 12 sets has seen the opponent get beyond the 20-point mark. The Nittany Lions are led by talented senior Joe Sunder, who averages four points per set.
Saint Francis is second in the EIVA with a 3-1 record; its lone loss came in three sets at Harvard. The Red Flash have a major defensive presence in Adam Roche, who leads the EIVA with 1.6 blocks per set.
Princeton is just behind the pair with a third-best EIVA record of 2-1. Liljestrom is the lone senior starter, though junior Michael Dye is a three-year starter with plenty of experience. Dye was named to the 2010 EIVA All-Tournament team when Princeton pushed Penn State in a tough league final, and he had 13 kills and a .409 attack percentage in the Tigers' 3-2 win over Newark last week.
The freshman trio of Cody Kessel, Will Siroky and Tony Ensbury has also paid immediate dividends for Princeton. Kessel and Siroky combined for 29 kills last weekend, while Ensbury has been a defensive stabilizer at the libero position.