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Princeton University Athletics
Friday, December 2
Provo, UT
9:00 PM
Princeton University
at
BYU
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Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Princeton Heads West, Seeks Historic Upset Of No. 10 BYU In NCAA Tournament Friday
November 30, 2016 | Women's Volleyball
VIDEO: Princeton's Magical Journey Through The NCAAs, To BYU
There will be a joy and excitement when the Ivy League champion Princeton women's volleyball team steps on the plane and heads to Provo, Utah. Don't confuse that, though, with this being a celebratory trip for these Tigers.
These Tigers, winners of 20 of their last 21 Ivy League regular season matches, didn't win the last two Ivy crowns by being satisfied with any past results. Proud? Yes. Satisfied? No way.
And they'll show that pride Friday night in the Smith Center against one of the perennial powers in the sport.
Princeton will open its sixth trip to the NCAA Championships Friday night at 9 pm ET (7 pm local) against the No. 10 BYU Cougars; the match will follow the first-round match between Utah and UNLV, with the two winners battling for a Round of 16 berth Saturday. The odds are heavily against this Tiger team; Top 16 seeds are 95-1 in the first round of the last six NCAA tournaments.
Of course, the odds weren't looking so pretty 13 months ago, when Princeton was 3-4 and trailed the Ivy leader by three matches with only seven to play. The Tigers didn't care then, and they won't care now.
They know they'll bring the two-time Ivy League Player of the Year (Cara Mattaliano), the Rookie of the Year (Maggie O'Connell), the Coach of the Year (Sabrina King), five All-Ivy League honorees and a team dynamic that has stayed united through any obstacle throughout the season. There was no greater example of that than in Princeton's Ivy-clinching win over Cornell, when the Tigers turned a 5-0 deficit in the fifth set into a Dillon Gym party.
A Princeton Party at the Smith Fieldhouse will be a far tougher accomplishment. BYU, which earned the 13th seed for the NCAA tournament, is 27-3 and winners of the West Coast Conference. The Cougars are 3-0 all-time over Princeton, including a 1999 NCAA tournament win over a King-led Tiger team, and they reached the NCAA championship match as recently as 2014.
But that would make the party all the sweeter.
Dancing Again
For the sixth time in program history, the Princeton women's volleyball team will compete in the NCAA tournament after claiming the Ivy League title and postseason bid. This will be Princeton's sixth trip to the NCAAs, and its first since 2007. The Tigers are winless in postseason play, and they won their lone set against Delaware in 2007.
Familiar Faces
While this will only be Princeton's sixth NCAA appearance, it will be the second time that the Tigers play BYU in Provo. Princeton won the 1999 Ivy League title and drew BYU in the opening round. The Cougars won that match 15-5, 15-5, 15-5.
That Princeton team was led by Ivy League Player of the Year Sabrina King, who returned to her alma mater in 2012 to become the program's fourth head coach.
King Of The Court
Sabrina King has been part of Princeton's last five NCAA tournament appearances. She went three times as a player (1997, 1999, 2000), once as an assistant coach (2007), and this year as head coach.
Efficient Energy
Friday's match will feature two of the nation's most efficient offensive teams in the NCAA. BYU ranks fourth nationally with a .292 attack percentage, while Princeton ranks 23rd with a .267 mark.
Returning For Seconds
Princeton senior co-captain Cara Mattaliano became the first player in program history to win multiple Ivy League Player of the Year awards; she won her first in 2015 after leading the Tigers from an 0-3 start to a shared league title.
Mattaliano, who became the 13th player in Princeton history to surpass the 1,000-kill mark for her career, ended the season ranked first in the Ivy League in kills (3.76); the margin between her and second-ranked Brittani Steinberg of Yale (3.17) was greater than the margin between Steinberg and the Ivy's 10th-ranked player in kills. She also ranked seventh in the Ivy League in digs (3.48), and was one of only two players to rank in the Top 10 in both categories. She had double-digit kills in 15 of her final 16 matches, including a 21-kill effort in Princeton's Ivy-clinching 3-2 comeback win over Cornell.
First Impression
Tiger freshman Maggie O'Connell became Princeton's sixth Ivy League Rookie of the Year, and its first since Parker Henritze earned the honor in 2007. O'Connell was the only player in the Ivy League to rank in the Top 5 in both kills (fourth, 3.08) and hitting percentage (second, .396). She showed poise beyond her years in three of Princeton's biggest wins of the season, 3-2 victories over Penn, Harvard, and Cornell. In those three matches, O'Connell averaged 18.3 kills while hitting .479 over the tense 15 sets. She posted a career-best 24 kills in the 3-2 win at Harvard in a showdown of the 2015 Ivy co-champions.
Three's Company
Senior Brittany Ptak joined Mattaliano and Ptak on the All-Ivy League First Team, and she did so by completing her own career rise through the All-Ivy team — honorable mention in 2014, second team in 2015, first team in 2016. She ranked fourth in the Ivy League in hitting percentage (.339) and eighth in kills (2.74), and she earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors following a 21-kill performance in the Ivy-opening 3-2 win at Penn.
Fresh Faces
While O'Connell earned the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award, she was only one of three Tiger newcomers to claim a Rookie of the Week award. Both Jessie Harris (one) and Devon Peterkin (two) earned at least one such honor, and both were named to the All-Ivy League second team. Peterkin averaged 2.68 kills per match and had double-digit kills in eight Ivy matches, including 14 apiece in the 3-2 road wins at Penn and Harvard; she ranked seventh in conference play in kills (2.88). Harris, who started the final 12 matches of the season for Princeton, ranked second in the Ivy League in assists (10.52), and she paced the Ivy League's most efficient offense, which hit .267 for the year, and .281 in conference play.
High Efficiency
The trio of O'Connell, Ptak and two-year starting middle Nnenna Ibe have played key roles in the efficiency of the Princeton offense. Each of the three ranks in the Ivy League Top 5 in attack percentage: O'Connell is second (.396), Ptak is fourth (.339), and Ibe is fifth (.336).
Before And After
On Oct. 17, 2015, Princeton dropped a 3-0 match to reigning Ivy League champion Yale to fall to 3-4 in Ivy League play. At that point, the Tigers had an 18-12 record in its last 30 matches, and it had gone 12-9 against Ivy League competition during that stretch. The next 30 matches for Princeton have been far different. Princeton has gone 25-5 since that point, including a 20-1 mark in regular season Ivy matches. The Tigers won both the 2015 and 2016 Ivy League titles during that stretch, and they posted non-league wins at San Francisco, Georgetown and Rutgers during the early part of this season.
Quick Facts On The 2016 Tigers
• Princeton went 19-4, 13-1 in Ivy play
• Princeton won 41 of 50 sets in league play, the best win % in Ivy play in 3 years
• Princeton produced the Ivy League Player of the Year (Cara Mattaliano), Co-Rookie of the Year (Maggie O'Connell), and five All-Ivy League honorees, including three first-teamers (Mattaliano, O'Connell, Brittany Ptak)
• Sabrina King was named the Ivy League Head Coach of the Year by unanimous vote; it was her second straight Ivy Coach of the Year honor, as she won after leading Princeton from an 0-3 start to a share of the 2015 Ivy title
• Princeton won the Ivy League title while starting three freshmen, each of whom was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week at least one time during league play
• Princeton ranked 13th in the NCAA in assists per set, despite starting a freshman for the majority of the season (and a sophomore for the rest of it)
• Princeton led the Ivies and ranked 23rd in the NCAA with a .267 hitting pct … I don't know if we are considered in the same region as Penn State (East vs. Northeast?), but if not, we should have the highest hitting percentage in the region
• Princeton ranked 28th in the NCAA with 14.10 kills per set
• Princeton's overall winning percentage of .826 is 20th in the nation
• Princeton's only losses came against two Big 10 teams (Indiana 3-0, Maryland 3-2), vs Towson (3-0) and at Yale (3-2).
• Princeton won 21 of 23 home sets this season
There will be a joy and excitement when the Ivy League champion Princeton women's volleyball team steps on the plane and heads to Provo, Utah. Don't confuse that, though, with this being a celebratory trip for these Tigers.
These Tigers, winners of 20 of their last 21 Ivy League regular season matches, didn't win the last two Ivy crowns by being satisfied with any past results. Proud? Yes. Satisfied? No way.
And they'll show that pride Friday night in the Smith Center against one of the perennial powers in the sport.
Princeton will open its sixth trip to the NCAA Championships Friday night at 9 pm ET (7 pm local) against the No. 10 BYU Cougars; the match will follow the first-round match between Utah and UNLV, with the two winners battling for a Round of 16 berth Saturday. The odds are heavily against this Tiger team; Top 16 seeds are 95-1 in the first round of the last six NCAA tournaments.
Of course, the odds weren't looking so pretty 13 months ago, when Princeton was 3-4 and trailed the Ivy leader by three matches with only seven to play. The Tigers didn't care then, and they won't care now.
They know they'll bring the two-time Ivy League Player of the Year (Cara Mattaliano), the Rookie of the Year (Maggie O'Connell), the Coach of the Year (Sabrina King), five All-Ivy League honorees and a team dynamic that has stayed united through any obstacle throughout the season. There was no greater example of that than in Princeton's Ivy-clinching win over Cornell, when the Tigers turned a 5-0 deficit in the fifth set into a Dillon Gym party.
A Princeton Party at the Smith Fieldhouse will be a far tougher accomplishment. BYU, which earned the 13th seed for the NCAA tournament, is 27-3 and winners of the West Coast Conference. The Cougars are 3-0 all-time over Princeton, including a 1999 NCAA tournament win over a King-led Tiger team, and they reached the NCAA championship match as recently as 2014.
But that would make the party all the sweeter.
| Schedule | Friday: Princeton at No. 10 BYU, 9 pm ET l Saturday: TBA |
| Follow Live | Video: BYU.tv l Audio: BYU Radio |
| @PUTigers l @PrincetonVolley | |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Statistics l Notes Packet |
| BYU | Roster l Schedule l Statistics |
| Ivy League | Standings l Statistics l News |
Dancing Again
For the sixth time in program history, the Princeton women's volleyball team will compete in the NCAA tournament after claiming the Ivy League title and postseason bid. This will be Princeton's sixth trip to the NCAAs, and its first since 2007. The Tigers are winless in postseason play, and they won their lone set against Delaware in 2007.
Familiar Faces
While this will only be Princeton's sixth NCAA appearance, it will be the second time that the Tigers play BYU in Provo. Princeton won the 1999 Ivy League title and drew BYU in the opening round. The Cougars won that match 15-5, 15-5, 15-5.
That Princeton team was led by Ivy League Player of the Year Sabrina King, who returned to her alma mater in 2012 to become the program's fourth head coach.
King Of The Court
Sabrina King has been part of Princeton's last five NCAA tournament appearances. She went three times as a player (1997, 1999, 2000), once as an assistant coach (2007), and this year as head coach.
Efficient Energy
Friday's match will feature two of the nation's most efficient offensive teams in the NCAA. BYU ranks fourth nationally with a .292 attack percentage, while Princeton ranks 23rd with a .267 mark.
Returning For Seconds
Princeton senior co-captain Cara Mattaliano became the first player in program history to win multiple Ivy League Player of the Year awards; she won her first in 2015 after leading the Tigers from an 0-3 start to a shared league title.
Mattaliano, who became the 13th player in Princeton history to surpass the 1,000-kill mark for her career, ended the season ranked first in the Ivy League in kills (3.76); the margin between her and second-ranked Brittani Steinberg of Yale (3.17) was greater than the margin between Steinberg and the Ivy's 10th-ranked player in kills. She also ranked seventh in the Ivy League in digs (3.48), and was one of only two players to rank in the Top 10 in both categories. She had double-digit kills in 15 of her final 16 matches, including a 21-kill effort in Princeton's Ivy-clinching 3-2 comeback win over Cornell.
First Impression
Tiger freshman Maggie O'Connell became Princeton's sixth Ivy League Rookie of the Year, and its first since Parker Henritze earned the honor in 2007. O'Connell was the only player in the Ivy League to rank in the Top 5 in both kills (fourth, 3.08) and hitting percentage (second, .396). She showed poise beyond her years in three of Princeton's biggest wins of the season, 3-2 victories over Penn, Harvard, and Cornell. In those three matches, O'Connell averaged 18.3 kills while hitting .479 over the tense 15 sets. She posted a career-best 24 kills in the 3-2 win at Harvard in a showdown of the 2015 Ivy co-champions.
Three's Company
Senior Brittany Ptak joined Mattaliano and Ptak on the All-Ivy League First Team, and she did so by completing her own career rise through the All-Ivy team — honorable mention in 2014, second team in 2015, first team in 2016. She ranked fourth in the Ivy League in hitting percentage (.339) and eighth in kills (2.74), and she earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors following a 21-kill performance in the Ivy-opening 3-2 win at Penn.
Fresh Faces
While O'Connell earned the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award, she was only one of three Tiger newcomers to claim a Rookie of the Week award. Both Jessie Harris (one) and Devon Peterkin (two) earned at least one such honor, and both were named to the All-Ivy League second team. Peterkin averaged 2.68 kills per match and had double-digit kills in eight Ivy matches, including 14 apiece in the 3-2 road wins at Penn and Harvard; she ranked seventh in conference play in kills (2.88). Harris, who started the final 12 matches of the season for Princeton, ranked second in the Ivy League in assists (10.52), and she paced the Ivy League's most efficient offense, which hit .267 for the year, and .281 in conference play.
High Efficiency
The trio of O'Connell, Ptak and two-year starting middle Nnenna Ibe have played key roles in the efficiency of the Princeton offense. Each of the three ranks in the Ivy League Top 5 in attack percentage: O'Connell is second (.396), Ptak is fourth (.339), and Ibe is fifth (.336).
Before And After
On Oct. 17, 2015, Princeton dropped a 3-0 match to reigning Ivy League champion Yale to fall to 3-4 in Ivy League play. At that point, the Tigers had an 18-12 record in its last 30 matches, and it had gone 12-9 against Ivy League competition during that stretch. The next 30 matches for Princeton have been far different. Princeton has gone 25-5 since that point, including a 20-1 mark in regular season Ivy matches. The Tigers won both the 2015 and 2016 Ivy League titles during that stretch, and they posted non-league wins at San Francisco, Georgetown and Rutgers during the early part of this season.
Quick Facts On The 2016 Tigers
• Princeton went 19-4, 13-1 in Ivy play
• Princeton won 41 of 50 sets in league play, the best win % in Ivy play in 3 years
• Princeton produced the Ivy League Player of the Year (Cara Mattaliano), Co-Rookie of the Year (Maggie O'Connell), and five All-Ivy League honorees, including three first-teamers (Mattaliano, O'Connell, Brittany Ptak)
• Sabrina King was named the Ivy League Head Coach of the Year by unanimous vote; it was her second straight Ivy Coach of the Year honor, as she won after leading Princeton from an 0-3 start to a share of the 2015 Ivy title
• Princeton won the Ivy League title while starting three freshmen, each of whom was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week at least one time during league play
• Princeton ranked 13th in the NCAA in assists per set, despite starting a freshman for the majority of the season (and a sophomore for the rest of it)
• Princeton led the Ivies and ranked 23rd in the NCAA with a .267 hitting pct … I don't know if we are considered in the same region as Penn State (East vs. Northeast?), but if not, we should have the highest hitting percentage in the region
• Princeton ranked 28th in the NCAA with 14.10 kills per set
• Princeton's overall winning percentage of .826 is 20th in the nation
• Princeton's only losses came against two Big 10 teams (Indiana 3-0, Maryland 3-2), vs Towson (3-0) and at Yale (3-2).
• Princeton won 21 of 23 home sets this season
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