Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Rings In 2016 Season With Home Trio, Opens vs. #6 Ohio State
January 04, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
The Princeton men's volleyball team has traditionally started its season with a West Coast road trip following January exams, and it often hasn't played at Dillon Gym until the middle of February. Princeton fans will get a much earlier look at the team this season, as the Tigers open up with three home matches this week, including a Tuesday showdown with sixth-ranked Ohio State.
Princeton takes on Ohio State Tuesday at 7 pm, and then will host Canadian college Laval for 7 pm matches both Thursday and Friday nights. All three matches will be streamed on the Ivy League Digital Network, and you can also follow them via live stats.
WHO'S BACK?
Senior captain Devin Stearns will enter his fourth year as a starter and will be the clear leader for a young, rebuilding squad. Stearns has more than 600 kills and nearly 250 digs in his Princeton career, and he has the experience of leading the Tigers to three straight EIVA postseason appearances. While he brings both talent and experience — he was one of the key players when Princeton upset Penn State two seasons ago — his versatility will be a key this season. Head coach Sam Shweisky is considering using Stearns at opposite to allow a pair of younger players the opportunity to play at their natural outside positions.
Junior setter Chirs Kennedy is the other returning starter with multiple years of experience under his belt. He was on the court when Princeton defeated Penn State, and then returned to the EIVA championship match. He already has nearly 1,500 assists in his career, and he will need to be a source of consistency considering the younger players who will surround him on the court.
WHO'S GONE?
The great thing about a brilliant recruiting class is the four years of success that follows. That fifth year can be rough, though, as you try to adjust to life without it. Graduating seniors Cody Kessel, Will Siroky and Tony Ensbury were fixtures on the court for four years — all of which included EIVA postseason berths — and they were leaders on both the offensive and defensive sides.
That trio all earned All-EIVA honors throughout their careers, as did middle Junior Oboh, who will take the 2016 season off for personal reasons. Oboh, a first-team all-EIVA middle last year, should return for his junior season in 2017 and would immediately become one of the most dangerous players in the league.
NEW FACES
The majority of Tuesday's starting lineup will include some unfamiliar — if not completely new — faces to the Princeton faithful. Sophomore Kendall Ratter started much of the 2015 season and will likely be the first outside to start 2016; though there were natural moments of freshman inconsistency, Ratter had flashes of brilliance as a hitter and was among the team's best servers.
Freshman Corry Short, a two-time Sun Sentinel Player of the Year honoree and a member of the USA Boys Youth National Training Team (2014-15), could compete with senior Zach Shaw for the other starting outside position.
The middle positions will feature completely new starters, and the two who could get a first crack are senior Alex Schindele-Murayama and sophomore Billy Andrew. Both have limited experience; Schindele-Murayama has played in 27 sets over his first two seasons, while Andrew made his first collegiate start at Cal-Santa Barbara last year and hit .545 against the nationally ranked opponent (6-0-11).
Senior Michael Bagnell may not have played as much as Ensbury at the libero position, but he does have both experience and ability on the defensive end. His passing will be critical early, as the rest of the offense tries to develop chemistry early in the season.
Early injuries have hurt Princeton's depth, especially for an exciting freshman class, and head coach Sam Shweisky understands that the early portion of the 2016 season will be about growth and development. The EIVA season doesn't begin until February, and the Tigers won't play a league home match until the final weekend of that month.
While Penn State and George Mason seem pretty secure to lock up two playoff spots, the other two spots could come down to the wire. That is when Shweisky hopes the tough early-season competition — Ohio State was ranked sixth in the preseason, and Laval is a top Canadian program — will pay off.