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14th-Ranked Tigers Host EIVA Semifinalist Mason In Important League Match
February 26, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
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The 14th-ranked Princeton men's volleyball team is currently atop the EIVA standings, but it also knows that a major obstacle is waiting for them Friday night. George Mason, a perennial EIVA playoff team, is looking to make its first major mark in league play, and it knows a win over Princeton would do the trick.
Both Princeton and George Mason were part of the 2014 EIVA postseason, and both have hopes of even stronger finishes this season. While Princeton was the team that made the 2014 championship match, Mason is actually the squad that has fared better recently in this series. Over the last four years, George Mason has gone 6-2 against Princeton, though both teams won their home match last season.
Princeton (6-4, 3-0 EIVA) has been nationally ranked for the last two weeks and already has two wins over teams ranked in the Top 15 at the time (Cal State-Northridge and Harvard). The Tigers have been led by the dominant play of senior All-America Cody Kessel, who leads the NCAA with 5.85 points per set and ranks second with 4.85 kills per set.
Kessel, a two-time EIVA Offensive Player of the Week already this season, was terrific in the 2014 regular season finale against Mason, when the Tigers rallied from an 0-1 deficit for a 3-1 victory. Kessel recorded 15 kills, eight digs and three blocks while hitting .333 to help Princeton clinch the 3-seed; less than a week later, Princeton knocked off second-seeded Harvard to return to the EIVA final for the first time since 2010.
A freshman at the time, Junior Oboh had six assisted blocks in that match, but he has made significant strides heading into his sophomore season. Oboh currently ranks first in the EIVA and ninth in the NCAA with 1.26 blocks per set, and his .412 hitting percentage is currently sixth-best nationally.
Oboh was named the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week following Princeton's victory over Harvard earlier this season.
While Mason (3-8, 0-2 EIVA) may have hoped for a better record, there are two things to consider. First, the Patriots have played a loaded schedule, with most of their losses coming to teams that have been ranked nationally for most, if not all, of the season. Second, they have historically been one of the best late-season teams in the league, which was especially evident last year; Mason went 6-3 to close the regular season, including a 3-1 home win over Princeton.
Princeton, which enters the weekend having won five straight matches, is in the middle of a six-match homestand. The Tigers will stay home next weekend for matches against Juniata (March 6) and NJIT (March 7).