.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Yale
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Solves Yale, Keeps Pressure On Harvard With 3-1 Victory
November 07, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORE
Kendall Peterkin didn't need anything to be at stake Friday night, but it sure made the win much sweeter.
Peterkin, one of four members of the Princeton Volleyball Class of 2016, earned her first career victory over Yale at the most opportune time. Princeton's 25-16, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20 win over the five-time defending Ivy League champion keeps the Tigers one match back of first-place Harvard, which topped Cornell 3-0 Friday night.
Princeton improved to 12-8, 7-4 in Ivy League play by racing out to a dominant two-set lead, and then holding off a feisty Bulldog squad in the final set. Leading 21-20 in the fourth, junior Cara Mattaliano recorded her 16th kill of the match, and then followed with her third service ace to open a three-point lead.
A missed swing and a missed set later, the Tigers were celebrating their seventh win in their last eight matches. Princeton is now 4-0 during the second half of the Ivy League round robin schedule, and all four wins have come over teams that beat the Tigers in the first half.
Peterkin led all players with 19 kills, and she became the 10th Princeton player to go over 1,200 career kills during the night. Mattaliano posted a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs, while senior Sarah Daschbach had 15 digs.
While the win was extra special for the seniors, who will play their final home match Saturday at 5 pm against Brown, they can thank a pair of freshmen for huge contributions. Middle Nnenna Ibe posted a career-high nine blocks (four solo) to go along with eight kills, while two-time reigning Rookie of the Week Claire Nussbaum had 45 assists and helped the Tigers hit .254 for the match.