Princeton University Athletics
April 23, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
LIVE VIDEO l LIVE STATS l EIVA STANDINGS
The Princeton men's volleyball team knows it will be part of the EIVA postseason next week at Penn State, but the Tigers will be seeking both a better seed and some important momentum as they head to George Mason for their regular season finale Friday night.
Princeton, currently third in the EIVA, enters the finale with a 11-11 record overall and a 6-5 mark in the EIVA. A victory over George Mason (fourth, 5-5 in the EIVA) would clinch at least the third seed for next week and a semifinal rematch with Harvard; last season, Princeton defeated Harvard 3-1 in the 2014 EIVA semifinal to earn a spot in its second championship final of the last 16 years.
A Princeton loss would likely leave the Tigers as a fourth seed, although results of the Harvard-Sacred Heart and George Mason-NJIT matches on Saturday could have an impact on that. If the Tigers do finish fourth in the league, they will open their postseason with a semifinal showdown against Penn State.
Princeton earned a much-needed victory last Saturday night on Senior Day with a thrilling 26-24, 19-25, 23-25, 28-26, 15-12 victory over Saint Francis in Dillon Gym. Senior Cody Kessel, a 2014 All-America honoree and the NCAA's third-leading point scorer this season, recorded 30 kills in the win to earn his third EIVA Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Princeton will look to reverse the first result of the season, when Mason ended a five-match win streak and knocked the Tigers from the national rankings with a 19-25, 34-32, 25-19, 27-25 victory Feb. 27 in Dillon Gym. Princeton came out firing in the first set and actually held two set balls in the second, but Mason fought them off for the 34-32 win. The fourth set would be similarly close, but Mason earned the victory there as well to clinch the win.
Friday's match is available via live video (subscription required), and live stats will also be available. Both can be accessed by clicking the above links.
