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Princeton University Athletics
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After Road Odyssey, Volleyball Finally Returns To Dillon For Home Opener
October 02, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
LAUREN MILLER INTERVIEW l ALL-ACCESS: PRINCETON WINS DELAWARE INVITE
There can't be many collegiate fall teams who still haven't played their home opener, but the Princeton women's volleyball team falls into that category. After an 11-match road trip — which ended in style with a 3-0 win at Penn last Friday — to open the seaso, Princeton will open a four-match homestand Friday night at Dillon Gym.
GoPrincetonTigers.com has had full coverage this week of the Princeton women's volleyball team as it finally returns home. You can watch the "All-Access" video, which followed the team through a championship at the Delaware Invitational, by clicking the link above, and you can get an update on the season and some early thoughts on the weekend by watching the interview with Lauren Miller (see play button or link above).
Highlights from the Penn victory are included in the video.
As for the weekend, Princeton has an opportunity to guarantee itself no worse than a two-way tie for first place in the league with a perfect weekend. After a slow start in Ivy play last year, that would be an ideal start for a team with only one senior in the starting lineup.
But the Empire State duo of Cornell and Columbia have proven difficult in the past, and both also have the opportunity to get out to a strong start in league play.
| Schedule | Cornell at Princeton (Oct. 3, 7 pm) • Columbia at Princeton (Oct. 4 • 5 pm) |
| Follow Live |
Live Video l Live Stats |
| @PUTigers l @PrincetonVolley l @PUTigers_Live | |
| Rosters | Princeton l Cornell l Columbia |
| Schedules | Princeton l Cornell l Columbia |
| Statistics | Princeton l Cornell l Columbia |
| Last Weekend | Princeton defeats Penn 3-0 to open Ivy season |
| Ivy League | Peterkin wins third Player of the Week honor • Weekly Release • Statistics |
EYE ON THE TIGERS
If you can't make it to Dillon Gym this weekend, you can follow along in multiple ways. Both matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network (subscription required), or you can follow through Live Stats or through live Twitter updates at @PUTigers_Live.
Of course, the best place to watch the matches is at Dillon Gym, where admission is free for all matches.
THREE-PEAT
Princeton junior Kendall Peterkin won her third Ivy League Player of the Week this season after she led all players in both kills (14) and digs (11), blocks (8) and service aces (5) in the sweep of the Quakers. Peterkin has won the honor in three of the five weeks it has been awarded; no other player in the league has more than one Player of the Week honor this season.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Kendall Peterkin has moved into the Top 25 nationally in both points (12th, 5.14) and kills (23rd, 4.32) per set. She also ranks in the 60 in aces per set with .41.
BLOCK PARTY
Nicole Kincade is the lone senior in the Princeton starting lineup, and she is off to the best start of her already-impressive career. She leads the Ivy League with 1.05 blocks per set, and her .303 attack percentage is sixth-best in the league. Fellow middle Brittany Ptak, a sophomore in her first year as a starter, ranks fifth in attack percentage (.321).
SETTING THE TABLE
Sophomore Lauren Miller, the focus of this week's pregame interview, has thrived in her second season as the starting setter. She leads the Ivy League with 10.57 assists per set, a total that ranks in the Top 60 nationally, and she has helped Princeton be one of three teams in the Ivy League to hit above .200 this season.
MIGHTIER THAN THE PENN
Between the 2010-2013 seasons, six of the eight Penn-Princeton matches were decided in five sets; there was no such drama in the Ivy opener for both teams, as Princeton kept the Quakers under 20 points in each set for a 25-15, 25-16, 25-14 win. It was only Princeton's third 3-0 win at the Palestra since head coach Sabrina King was an All-Ivy player for the Tigers (2000).
CAN YOU DIG IT?
You can expect long points this weekend, as four of the Ivy League's top six players in digs will be competing at Dillon Gym. Cornell's Natasha Rowland leads the league with 5.47 digs per set, while Columbia's Charlee Dyroff is fifth with 3.97. Princeton is the only team with two players in the Top 6; junior libero Sarah Daschbach ranks fourth with 4.33, while Kendall Peterkin is sixth with 3.84.
SCOUTING CORNELL (3-8, 0-1)
Cornell dropped its Ivy opener 3-1 at Columbia last weekend, and it enters Friday's contest on a three-match losing streak. The Big Red has some young talent on the court, including freshman Emily Wemhoff, who ranks fourth in the Ivy League with 3.03 kills per set.
SCOUTING COLUMBIA (5-5, 1-0)
Columbia has a strong 1-2 punch in Bailey Springer (3.1 kills per set) and Katarina Jovicic (2.2 kills, 1.0 blocks), and it has won two straight matches entering the weekend. Jovicic had 10 kills and nine blocks last weekend in the win over Cornell.
THE AMAZING RACE
The Ivy League race gets in full swing with each team playing twice this weekend. Princeton, Yale, Columbia and Dartmouth each won their opening Ivy matches last weekend, and it's possible that all four could be 2-0 by Saturday afternoon. At that point, first place would be divided in half, as Columbia will be at Princeton and reigning Ivy champion Yale will play at Dartmouth.