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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Streaking Tigers Hope To Celebrate Seniors, Success In Crucial Home Weekend
November 05, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
OTHER LINKS: Volleyball Players Star In Who's The Tiger Video?
Mic'd Up: Sabrina King l Mattaliano, Nussbaum Take Ivy Individual Honors
This was going to be a big weekend anyway. Senior Day always brings out special feelings, and it will be no different for the four members of the Princeton volleyball Class of 2016.
But for a while — not all that long ago, frankly — it didn't appear that these matches would have a huge impact for Princeton on the Ivy League championship race.
Things have changed.
| Schedule | Yale at Princeton, Fri, 7 pm • Brown at Princeton Sat, 5 pm |
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Live Video l Live Stats |
| @PUTigers l @PrincetonVolley l @PUTigers_Live | |
| Rosters | Princeton l Brown l Yale |
| Schedules | Princeton l Brown l Yale |
| Statistics | Princeton l Brown l Yale |
| Last Weekend | Princeton 3, Dartmouth 0 l Princeton 3, Harvard 0 |
| Ivy League | Standings • Weekly Release • Statistics |
Princeton, which was three matches out of first place only two weeks ago, has caught fire at the most opportune time. The Tigers (11-8, 6-4 Ivy) have won their last three matches, including two against first-place teams, and now find themselves in the middle of the wildest Ivy League race in more than a decade.
The Tigers will host five-time reigning Ivy League champion Yale (11-8, 6-4) and Brown (10-12, 4-6) this weekend, with both matches being streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network. You can watch a video preview on both the weekend and Senior Day by clicking the play link above.
Princeton's challenge at the midway point of the double round-robin Ivy season was simple — beat all four teams that you lost against earlier, and see where you stand. The Tigers opened with a 3-1 win at Penn, and then swept both Dartmouth and Harvard last weekend in Dillon Gym. Princeton has now won four straight at home, and they would love nothing more than to build on that streak this weekend.
After all, if they do, they'll end another streak that has gone on far too long for their liking.
Yale has won eight straight matches over Princeton, including all seven that have included the current Princeton Class of 2015 (Sarah Daschbach, Anne Ferlmann, Stephanie Marani, and Kendall Peterkin). The Bulldogs are currently in a three-way tie with Princeton and Dartmouth, each of whom stands one match back of Harvard with four to go.
Both Princeton and Yale have two of the Ivy League's top ten hitters (in terms of kills/set). Peterkin, a two-time All-Ivy League selection, ranks third in the Ivy League with 3.41 kills, while teammate Cara Mattaliano, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week, is fifth with 3.1 kills. The Yale duo of Kelly Johnson (2.80) and Kelley Wirth (2.78) rank ninth and tenth, respectively, though Wirth had 12 kills in Yale's 3-0 home win over Princeton earlier this season.
Brown will be the Senior Day opponent Saturday at Dillon Gym, and the Bears pushed Princeton hard before falling 3-2 to the Tigers in Providence. Sabrina Stillwell, one of the league's most efficient hitters, had 17 kills in that match for Princeton, but Tiger junior Brittany Ptak had 17 kills and hit .441 in the 3-2 win.
Prior to Saturday's match, there will be a 90-minute clinic for local high school girls. It will be held from 1:00-2:30 inside Dillon Gym.