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Princeton Pushes No. 1 UCLA, Falls 3-0; UCSD To Offer Free Stream Wednesday
January 26, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
BOX SCORE
Sam Shweisky knew his young men's volleyball team was getting thrown into the fire to start the 2016 season, and he was as interested in watching it handle the moments as he was with the actual results. His squad, facing the hottest fire in the nation Monday night, showed him plenty in a competitive showdown at No. 1 UCLA in a nationally televised match at Pauley Pavilion.
The unbeaten Bruins proved too explosive for Princeton in a 25-19, 25-22, 25-16 victory, but Shweisky saw his team embrace the moment and compete with the best in the nation — especially in the first two sets.
Princeton, which has only played teams ranked in the Top 6 in either the NCAA or in the national Canadian rankings this season, was within three points of the Bruins late in the first set before a late run sent UCLA to the 25-19 win. The Tigers came back even stronger in the second, staying close with the Bruins before a 4-0 run gave the road team a 22-20 lead.
From there, though, it was all UCLA. The Bruins scored five of the final six points in that set and then controlled the majority of the third to move to 8-0 on the season.
Not surprisingly, Princeton's lone hitter with significant big-match experience led the way. All-East senior Devin Stearns recorded nine kills and a pair of digs, while outsides Zach Shaw and Kendall Ratter both had four kills. Junior setter Chris Kennedy had 18 assists, while senior libero Michael Bagnell had 12 digs.
The match opened Princeton's annual California trip during the post-Finals break. The week will continue Wednesday night when the Tigers take on UC-San Diego at 9 pm Eastern (6 pm local). UC-San Diego announced that match will be streamed online for free.