Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Begins April Push With EIVA Weekend At Harvard, Sacred Heart
April 01, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
The Princeton men's volleyball team will open April against one of its biggest rivals, Harvard. Both teams would like nothing more than to close the month the same way, even if the stakes then would be significantly greater.
| Date/Time/Location | Harvard (April 3 • 7 pm) l Sacred Heart (April 4 • 5 pm) |
| Follow Live | Harvard: Live Video • Live Stats l Sacred Heart: Live Video • Live Stats |
| @Princeton Volley l @PUTigers l @PUTigers_Live | |
| Rosters | Princeton l Harvard l Sacred Heart |
| Schedules | Princeton l Harvard l Sacred Heart |
| Stats | Princeton l Harvard l Sacred Heart |
| What's Up Next? | Off next week, will host three (including Penn State) from April 14-18 |
Princeton (9-8, 5-2 EIVA) heads into the weekend in second place in the EIVA, though Harvard (10-8, 4-2) remains a half game back and would take over second place with a perfect weekend. The Tigers will also play Sacred Heart (10-9, 1-5) on Saturday; the Pioneers are still alive in the postseason chase, but their margin for error is pretty slim at this point.
The difference between second and third place in the EIVA is minimal; basically, it determines jersey color for the league semifinal April 29. However, both teams are hoping to stay out of the fourth spot, which looks destined for a semifinal matchup with a streaking Penn State team which has raced from outside the Top 15 to the No. 7 national ranking during its current eight-match win streak.
George Mason (8-10, 3-3) is currently in the fourth spot, but it still has matches with both Harvard and Princeton, and it already owns one win over the Tigers.
Ultimately, though, a team that wants to end Penn State's 16-year streak will need to beat the Nittany Lions at some point, so Princeton is just focusing on playing its best volleyball right now.
"In a strong league like the EIVA in which anybody can win on a given day, it is critical to build momentum heading into the end of April," junior outside Devin Stearns said. "I think we have a great opportunity to start this weekend and challenge ourselves against two very tough opponents in Harvard and Sacred Heart."
Stearns represents a key piece of the team's development towards the postseason. While senior Cody Kessel (2nd in EIVA in kills, points) and sophomore Junior Oboh (1st in EIVA in attack pct., 2nd in blocks) have been posting all-league numbers throughout the season, Stearns has become a more consistent force in the offense recently.
After missing the opening weekend with an injury, Stearns posted one match with double-digit kills in his first nine appearances. Over the last five, he has had four double-digit kill nights, including a 20-kill effort against NJIT and a 16-kill night at Ball State. He hit .500 (11-1-20) at Penn State last weekend, and added 11 kills the following night at Saint Francis.
"I'm absolutely feeling more comfortable in the offense," Stearns said. "I think the key to maintaining consistency throughout the rest of the season is to stay process oriented. Working hard every single day and staying focused on the little things in training can have a huge impact over the long term."
And while the long term is still the ultimate focus, there does remain something special anytime Princeton and Harvard meet. As the lone Ivy League programs in Division I volleyball, they have created their own trophy that resides with the winner of the previous match. Princeton has won the last two, including the 2014 EIVA semifinal, but the Tigers haven't won in Boston since 2010.
"There is a bit of an Ivy League rivalry, and we always relish the opportunity to play Harvard," Stearns said. "Over my three years here, there hasn't been a match against Harvard that hasn't been a battle until the very end, and I wouldn't expect anything less this coming weekend."
SCOUTING HARVARD
Senior D.J. White is putting together another all-league season; he ranks fifth in the league with just under 3.4 kills per set, and he has posted six straight double-digit kill matches. Junior Branden Clemens has given Harvard greater offensive balance. He also averages over three kills per set, and he had 17 in a 3-1 win at George Mason last weekend.
Since Harvard's Feb. 13 loss at Princeton, the Crimson has gone 6-4, with all four losses coming to nationally ranked opponents.
SCOUTING SACRED HEART
While he hasn't gotten the same attention as some of his EIVA classmates, senior Enzo Mackenzie is putting together a terrific final season for the Pioneers. He currently ranks third in the league in both kills (4.06) and points (4.9) per set this season. In a 3-0 loss at Dillon Gym, Mackenzie had 14 kills for Sacred Heart, while setter Eduardo Zardo had 30 assists and six digs.
The Pioneers have won seven of their last eight matches entering the weekend, with the lone loss coming in a five-set match at George Mason.