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With Nation's Points Leader, Volleyball Opens EIVA Play Friday At NJIT
February 04, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
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Reality will hit the Princeton men's volleyball team Friday, when it actually has to bundle up before getting on the bus for a short trip to Newark, N.J. The Tigers, who have played all six matches in sunny California this season, began their EIVA journey Friday night at NJIT.
Princeton (2-4, 0-0 EIVA) has gotten used to more than just warmth through its two California trips early in 2015. The Tigers have played one of the toughest early-season schedules possible, with five of their first six opponents ranked in the Top 15 at the time of the match. Princeton picked up a win over a Cal-State Northridge program ranked 13th at that point, and it wrapped up its six-match journey through the Golden State with a win over UC-San Diego.
Senior Cody Kessel, who was the first EIVA Offensive Player of the Week this season, has given an early indication that he plans on punctuating his All-America career with an exclamation point. The senior rightside player currently ranks first nationally with 5.5 points per set, and he is doing it with a .321 hitting percentage that ranks fourth in the EIVA.
While Kessel has been among the EIVA leaders throughout his four-year career, sophomore Junior Oboh looks like he plans to be part of the elite crowd this season. Oboh currently leads the EIVA with a .410 attack percentage — he is one of only two players in the league to be hitting above .400 — and he ranks fifth in the league with .88 blocks per set.
Of course, both will tell you that the individual goals fall secondary to the team goal of returning to — and ultimately winning — the EIVA final, and that process begins Friday night. NJIT is currently 4-2 on the season, though the Highlanders also haven't played a league match yet. They do have the reigning EIVA Defensive Player of the Week in Ryan Thomas, who had 13 blocks during an unbeaten week for NJIT.
Princeton has won five straight in this series, though two of its last three matches in Newark have been challenges; after a loss there in 2012, the Tigers had to hold off a late rally for a 15-13 win in the fifth set in 2013. Last season, Kessel had 15 kills and a .619 attack percentage in a 3-0 win.
Following Friday's match, Princeton will prepare for its home opener Friday, Feb. 13, against No. 15 Harvard; these two teams met in the 2014 EIVA semifinal, with Princeton claiming a 3-1 victory.