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Princeton University Athletics
Friday, November 4
New Haven, CT
7:00 PM
Princeton University
at
Yale
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
Title Or Tension? Volleyball Hopes For Former Friday, Will Need To End Eight-Year Drought First
November 02, 2016 | Women's Volleyball
This is assured. At the end of Friday's showdown in New Haven (7 pm, ILDN/ESPN3), the Princeton women's volleyball team will be alone in first place in the Ivy League.
What we don't know, and what makes Friday such a fascinating match, is whether the Tigers will already be the league champion, or whether they will have a fired-up Yale squad breathing down their necks.
Princeton — winners of 14 straight matches, including all 10 in Ivy League play — leads Yale by two matches with four to play in the Ivy League season. Columbia is mathematically alive, but it would need something borderline miraculous to grab a piece of the title at the end of the season. A Tiger win would clinch at least a share of Princeton's 16th Ivy League championship, though it would need at least one more victory to assure itself a return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.
That also happens to be the last time Princeton won at Yale.
Yes, this one will be fascinating for sure.
Championship Dreams
Princeton would clinch both an Ivy League title and its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2007 with a perfect weekend. If Princeton beats Yale Friday, it would open a three-match lead over the Bulldogs with three to play, thus guaranteeing at least a share of the Tigers' 16th Ivy League title. If Princeton also won the following night at Brown, it would clinch the outright title and a return trip to the NCAA tournament.
New Streak In New Haven?
Princeton has lost its last eight matches at Yale, including a 3-0 loss last year that left the Tigers at 3-4 in Ivy League play. They have won 17 straight regular season matches since then; the first seven earned them a share of the 2015 Ivy Lague title, and the last 10 have put Princeton in first place this season. The Tigers' last win at Yale came during the 2007 Ivy championship season, when Princeton became the first Ivy League team to post a perfect 14-0 record.
Speaking Of Streaks …
Princeton has won 14 straight matches, its second-longest win streak in the last 20 years. The Tigers had a streak of 26 consecutive sets won during its Ivy League win streak, but it ended in the second set of a 3-2 win at Harvard last week. It has also won 17 straight Ivy League regular season matches, the second-longest streak in program history. The longest Ivy League win streak for Princeton was 18, set over the course of three seasons (2006-2008).
Welcome Matt
Senior Cara Mattaliano, the reigning Ivy League women's volleyball Player of the Year, currently leads the Ivy League with 3.58 kills per set. She has posted double-digit kills in 11 of Princeton's last 12 matches, and she had nine in the 12th match. She is also one of only two players in the Ivy League to be ranked in the Top 10 in both kills (1st, 3.58) and digs (5th, 3.65). Mattaliano will face off against the other Friday night, as Yale's Brittani Steinberg ranks in both categories (2nd in kills, 3.14; 9th in digs, 3.18).
Fresh Faces
The Princeton freshman trio of Jessie Harris, Maggie O'Connell and Devon Peterkin have each earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors during the season, and O'Connell leads all Ivy League freshmen with three honors. She is the current Rookie of the Week after a 24-kill performance in Princeton's 3-2 win over Harvard. Harris is the Ivy League leader in assists this season (10.2), while Peterkin is a two-time Rookie of the Week who had double-digit kills in both wins last weekend.
High Efficiency
Princeton leads the Ivy League and ranks 20th nationally with a .267 hitting percentage, and it has three of the Ivy League's top five individual hitters in O'Connell, Brittany Ptak and Nnenna Ibe.
What we don't know, and what makes Friday such a fascinating match, is whether the Tigers will already be the league champion, or whether they will have a fired-up Yale squad breathing down their necks.
Princeton — winners of 14 straight matches, including all 10 in Ivy League play — leads Yale by two matches with four to play in the Ivy League season. Columbia is mathematically alive, but it would need something borderline miraculous to grab a piece of the title at the end of the season. A Tiger win would clinch at least a share of Princeton's 16th Ivy League championship, though it would need at least one more victory to assure itself a return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.
That also happens to be the last time Princeton won at Yale.
Yes, this one will be fascinating for sure.
| Schedule | Friday: Princeton at Yale, 7 pm l Saturday: Princeton at Brown, 5 pm |
| Follow Live | Video: Ivy League Digital Network l Yale match on ESPN3 l Live Stats: Yale l Brown |
| @PUTigers l @PrincetonVolley | |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Statistics |
| Yale | Roster l Schedule l Statistics |
| Brown | Roster l Schedule l Statistics |
| Ivy League | Standings l Statistics l News |
| Next Week | Cornell at Princeton (Fri, Nov. 11, 7 pm) l Columbia at Princeton (Sat., Nov. 12, 5 pm) |
Championship Dreams
Princeton would clinch both an Ivy League title and its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2007 with a perfect weekend. If Princeton beats Yale Friday, it would open a three-match lead over the Bulldogs with three to play, thus guaranteeing at least a share of the Tigers' 16th Ivy League title. If Princeton also won the following night at Brown, it would clinch the outright title and a return trip to the NCAA tournament.
New Streak In New Haven?
Princeton has lost its last eight matches at Yale, including a 3-0 loss last year that left the Tigers at 3-4 in Ivy League play. They have won 17 straight regular season matches since then; the first seven earned them a share of the 2015 Ivy Lague title, and the last 10 have put Princeton in first place this season. The Tigers' last win at Yale came during the 2007 Ivy championship season, when Princeton became the first Ivy League team to post a perfect 14-0 record.
Speaking Of Streaks …
Princeton has won 14 straight matches, its second-longest win streak in the last 20 years. The Tigers had a streak of 26 consecutive sets won during its Ivy League win streak, but it ended in the second set of a 3-2 win at Harvard last week. It has also won 17 straight Ivy League regular season matches, the second-longest streak in program history. The longest Ivy League win streak for Princeton was 18, set over the course of three seasons (2006-2008).
Welcome Matt
Senior Cara Mattaliano, the reigning Ivy League women's volleyball Player of the Year, currently leads the Ivy League with 3.58 kills per set. She has posted double-digit kills in 11 of Princeton's last 12 matches, and she had nine in the 12th match. She is also one of only two players in the Ivy League to be ranked in the Top 10 in both kills (1st, 3.58) and digs (5th, 3.65). Mattaliano will face off against the other Friday night, as Yale's Brittani Steinberg ranks in both categories (2nd in kills, 3.14; 9th in digs, 3.18).
Fresh Faces
The Princeton freshman trio of Jessie Harris, Maggie O'Connell and Devon Peterkin have each earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors during the season, and O'Connell leads all Ivy League freshmen with three honors. She is the current Rookie of the Week after a 24-kill performance in Princeton's 3-2 win over Harvard. Harris is the Ivy League leader in assists this season (10.2), while Peterkin is a two-time Rookie of the Week who had double-digit kills in both wins last weekend.
High Efficiency
Princeton leads the Ivy League and ranks 20th nationally with a .267 hitting percentage, and it has three of the Ivy League's top five individual hitters in O'Connell, Brittany Ptak and Nnenna Ibe.
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