Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
All-America Cody Kessel Earns First EIVA Offensive Player of the Week Honor
January 20, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
Senior opposite Cody Kessel, who became the third All-America honoree in Princeton men's volleyball history last season, claimed the first EIVA Offensive Player of the Week honor for the 2015 season. Kessel was instrumental in a 3-2 win over Cal State-Northridge, the only win over a ranked program for any EIVA team so far this season.
Kessel, who was named to both the EIVA First Team and the EIVA All-Tournament team last season, averaged 5.69 points per set in a pair of matches against ranked teams at the season-opening ASICS Invitational. He was at his best during a 3-2 win over No. 13 Northridge, recording 21 kills, five digs and four blocks in the comeback win. He hit .341 during the match and added an assist and a service ace.
"Cody reminded everybody of his capabilities that night," head coach Sam Shweisky said. "Against a top program, he could be the best player on the floor and lead us to a big victory. Cody is a top player, and his passion and dedication to both the sport and the Princeton program has impacted us in a significant way. The EIVA will have some tremendous players this season, and Cody absolutely fits in that group."
Kessel ranked third in the EIVA in both kills/set (3.52) and points/set (4.0) last season; both marks ranked in the Top 30 nationally. He had 21 matches with double-digit kills, and seven matches with at least 15 kills, and he helped Princeton to two of its biggest wins in program history: the 3-2 home win over Penn State that ended a 35-match losing streak to the Nittany Lions, and the 3-1 win over Harvard in the EIVA semifinal.
Princeton will return to the court next week for three more matches in California, including showdowns with No. 3 UC-Irvine and No. 9 UCLA.
Check back later this week for a 2015 preview video on the Tigers.