Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Tigers Look To Move Back Up EIVA Standings, Open Key Home Pair v. Harvard
February 25, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
While the Princeton men's volleyball team still have 10 matches remaining in EIVA play, the Tigers understand the importance of the two being played in Dillon Gym this weekend. They can move into second place by the end of the weekend, and they could do it at the expense of the lone other Ivy school playing Division I men's volleyball.
Princeton (2-7, 2-2 EIVA) will host both Harvard (6-5, 3-1) and Sacred Heart (3-8, 3-1) this weekend in matches played at Dillon Gym. Both the Friday night (7 pm) and the Saturday afternoon (4 pm) matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
While the Tigers were hoping for a better record entering their league home opener, they know that their challenging early schedule has helped develop a squad with five new starters in the mix.
"I think that one of the biggest improvements lately is creating a more intense environment on the court to get us playing at a high level," sophomore Billy Andrew said. "Looking back at our matches so far this season, our best volleyball is our most intense volleyball, and we are pushing every practice to replicate that environment for two hours every day. I think that if we can get fired up and play some intense volleyball, like we have against teams like UCLA, UCSD, BYU, and Penn State, then we play good volleyball and put up a great fight. If we can bring this environment to the court every time, then I think we will be a tough team to beat."
In his first season as a starter, Andrew is starting to demonstrate some of those improvements. He currently ranks just outside the EIVA Top 10 in hitting percentage, and he ranks 16th in blocks per set.
Princeton is currently fourth in the EIVA, and the two teams directly in front of them will be the ones visiting Dillon Gym this weekend. While both matter equally in EIVA play, there is undoubtedly something special when Harvard comes to town. And when you factor in that the EIVA playoff race looks extremely tight this season, that match becomes even bigger.
"Especially this year, every match, every set, every point, every touch matters," Andrew said. "The conference is pretty even this year, which will make for some very competitive matches across the board. Therefore, it is always important to stay consistently at the top as things are more prone to fluctuate this year compared to last year.
"Our home conference opener against Harvard this Friday will be awesome, as it is our biggest rivalry," he added. "It will be a fun match, one that we can be fired up for, and one that can give us fire continuing on in the season."