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Princeton University Athletics
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Volleyball Hopes To Build On Opener, Grab More Wins At Hofstra Invitational
September 10, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
WEEKEND LINKS: Live Stats (all matches) l Live Video (Princeton vs. Hofstra)
The Princeton women's volleyball team will look to build off its first weekend of competition when it heads to Hempstead, N.Y., this weekend to compete in the 2015 Hofstra/ASICS Invitational. The Tigers will play three times, including a Friday night showdown (6 pm) against the host Pride.
Princeton (1-2) picked up its first win of the season in thrilling fashion last Friday; trailing 2-1 in sets, and then 6-0 in the fifth set, the Tigers clawed their way back to a 16-14 victory over Radford. The match featured the type of offensive balance head coach Sabrina King is looking for this season, with four players recording double-digit kills.
Junior outside Cara Mattaliano led the way with 17 kills and 17 digs, showing the form that made her a first-team All-Ivy League honoree as a freshman in 2013. A trio of current freshmen made their collegiate debuts last weekend, and each had at least one strong performance over the weekend.
Nnenna Ibe started all three matches at middle blocker and had six kills with a .385 hitting percentage against George Washington. Brittany Smith spelled first-team All-Ivy selection Kendall Peterkin at rightside and also had six kills against GW, while setter Claire Nussbaum had 21 assists and seven digs in the comeback win over Radford.
While some of the individual performances were solid, King wants to see her team start collecting victories as it moves closer to the Sept. 25 Ivy League opener against Penn. The first opportunity will come against Hofstra, which is 5-4 on the season. Veronika Kostova leads the Pride with nearly 4.5 points per set this season, and she has recorded at least 20 kills in two of Hofstra's last three matches.
Princeton will play twice Saturday, beginning with a 10 am match against Florida Gulf Coast (4-2). The Eagles have been a more efficient offensive team than its opponents this season, hitting nearly 50 percentage points better on its attacks.
The weekend finale comes Saturday at 3 pm against Hartford (0-7). Paulina Modestow has been the top player for the Pride, averaging nearly 3.3 points per set.