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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Manhattan
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Claims Delaware Invitational Title With 3-1 Win Over Manhattan
September 13, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORES: Princeton 3, Manhattan 1 l Princeton 3, Delaware 2 l Princeton 3, George Mason 2
Head coach Sabrina King knew that the work was being done in practice, but she was very interested to see how much progress her team had actually made since the season-opening tournament at Temple the previous weekend.
It's fair to say King was pleased with what she saw this weekend.
Princeton (4-2) capped a perfect weekend at the 2014 Delaware Invitational Saturday morning with a 3-1 victory over Manhattan (6-4). Unlike both of Friday's wins over George Mason and Delaware, the Tigers were the frontrunners against the Jaspers. A 28-26 win in the second set opened a 2-0 Princeton lead, and after a tight loss in the third, the Tigers ran off 15 of the first 20 points to assume full control of the match.
The win clinched Princeton's first tournament sweep since the 2010 season-opening Lafayette Tournament, and it gives the Tigers four wins in their last five matches.
"It has been obvious from the beginning that our team has really good chemistry and that definitely translates into the way we play," said junior Kendall Peterkin, the tournament MVP. "We are really comfortable playing with each other and the wins are an awesome consequence of that. Winning this tournament is so important because it not only builds our confidence but it also relates back to the Ivy League and how strong of a force we can be."
Peterkin, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week, recorded her second 20-20 match of the young season. She paced the offense with 26 kills and added 22 digs and four blocks on her way to tournament MVP honors. The middle combination of Nicole Kincade and Brittany Ptak combined for 27 kills and eight blocks, while junior libero Sarah Daschbach completed one of the best weekends of her career with 29 digs. Daschbach joined sophomore setter Lauren Miller (56 assists, 15 digs) on the all-tournament team.
Peterkin and Kincade combined to lead Princeton late in the second set, which ultimately became the turning point of the match. Trailing 22-17, that duo combined for five straight kills to even the match at 22. Manhattan would have three set balls as the two squads continued to side out, but a kill by Cara Mattaliano gave Princeton a lead at 27-26, and a Manhattan error ended it a point later.
Peterkin has been among the league's top hitters throughout her career, but she seems to be thriving back at the rightside position, which she held most of her freshman season.
"I came into this season unsure about my position, but I felt confident that I could contribute from wherever Coach asked me to play," she said. "There's something about the right side that makes me feel in my element and I think the experience I've had there has helped me to improve my shots and learn my limitations. We have great chemistry this season and that has really been a huge factor in our success so far."
Princeton, which is still two weeks from the start of the Ivy League season, will look to continue its progress next weekend when it plays four matches at the Rutgers Invitational.
"During our meetings after every game we all agree that it's the little things that we need to work on," Peterkin said. "If we had just gotten that one tip, or made that one serve, they could have been game changers. Overall, I think we are playing really solid volleyball, and if we can stay focused on every point and concentrate on our individual jobs on the court, we can play great volleyball."