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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
George Washington
Players Mentioned
Thrilling Comeback On Opening Day! Volleyball Rallies For Radford Stunner
September 04, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORES: George Washington 3, Princeton 1 l Princeton 3, Radford 2
SEASON PREVIEWS: Video Preview l Written Preview l The Class of 2019
A thrilling fifth-set comeback led the Princeton women's volleyball team to a split during the first day of the George Washington Invitational. The Tigers trailed 2-1 in the nightcap to Radford, and then 6-0 in the final set, but a final kill by All-Ivy middle Brittany Ptak guided the Tigers to a wild five-set win.
Princeton 3, Radford 2
Princeton had four players with double-digit kills, including Cara Mattaliano, who recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 17 digs in a 25-16, 13-25, 29-31, 25-18, 16-14 victory over Radford.
All-Ivy rightside Kendall Peterkin had 15 kills and hit .306, while sophomore Kelly Matthews capped a terrific first day of the season with 10 kills, 16 digs and a .333 attack percentage. Ptak, an All-Ivy middle from last season, had 13 kills, including one on Princeton's second match point.
The Tigers showed impressive resilience after falling 31-29 in the third set, jumping out to a quick 6-2 lead and never trailing in the fourth set. That momentum didn't quite reach the start of the fifth set, as Radford rolled off six straight points in the sprint to 15.
But Princeton chipped away, finally getting to within one point on a Matthews kill. A combo block by Peterkin and freshman starter Nnenna Ibe evened the score at 12-12, and a ball-handling error gave Princeton its first lead at 14-13. Radford fought off one match ball, but a Peterkin kill gave the Tigers a second chance, and Ptak delivered the winner.
Sophomore Maddie Huber posted a career-best 25 digs in the win, while the setting combination of Lauren Miller (33) and Claire Nussbaum (21) combined for 56 digs and helped the Tigers hit .240 in the victory. Ibe, who hit .294 in the match, added four blocks, including the crucial one late in the fifth.
George Washington 3, Princeton 1
Sophomore Kelly Matthews matched her season high from 2014 in her first match of the 2015 season, recording 11 kills in a 3-1 loss to the host Colonials in the opening match of the George Washington Invitational. Matthews had only one error and hit .357 in the season opener.
Princeton will return to the court Friday evening (5:30 pm) to take on Radford in the second match of the George Washington Invitational.
The Tigers sprinted out of the gates with a 25-20 win in the opening set, but George Washington grabbed a lead midway through the second and never looked back. The Colonials picked up their second win of the season with a 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-23 victory. Princeton fought off two match points in the final set, but Chidima Osuchukwu recorded her 26th kill of the morning to clinch the match.
Junior Cara Mattaliano posted a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs, while senior co-captain Sarah Daschbach recorded 21 digs. Senior co-captain Kendall Peterkin added eight kills for the Tigers.
The freshman trio of Nnenna Ibe, Claire Nussbaum and Brittany Smith all made impressive contributions in their collegiate debut. Ibe was the lone starter in the trio, and she recorded six kills and hit .385 from the middle position. Nussbaum had a team-best 26 assists to go along with nine digs, while Smith saw time at the rightside position and added six kills and a pair of blocks.