Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Saint Francis
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Princeton Rallies On Senior Night, But #15 St. Francis Holds On For 3-2 Win
April 02, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
BOX SCORE
The Princeton men's volleyball team battled for a final home win, battled for the proper send-off to its senior class, battled to add some late intrigue in the EIVA postseason chase.
Ultimately, though, that battle fell just a bit short. The Tigers rallied from a 2-0 hole Saturday afternoon against the 15th-ranked team in the nation, but Saint Francis used a fast start in the final set to claim an important 3-2 victory in the postseason chase.
The Tigers fell 25-22, 25-22, 18-25, 24-26, 15-11 in a thriller to complete their 2016 home season. Princeton, which is now 3-8 in EIVA play, will close the season with a trio of road matches, including a showdown at George Mason next Saturday night.
One night after classmate Kendall Ratter posted a career-best 23 kills in a loss to No. 11 Penn State, sophomore Mike Fuerst recorded a career-high 17 kills in the match. He came off the bench and provided a major spark to an offense that hit below .100 in each of the first two sets; Princeton hit .375 in the third and .344 in the fourth to ignite a large Dillon crowd, but Saint Francis came up with some key blocks early in the fifth to take control.
The senior duo of Devin Stearns and Zach Shaw, playing in their final home match, combined for 25 kills and 18 digs in the match. All four seniors started in the match; libero Michael Bagnell had a match-high 12 digs, while middle Alex Schindele-Murayama added two kills and two digs.
Junior Jonah May paced the offense with 46 assists, while sophomore Billy Andrew added six kills and five blocks while hitting .455 in the match.