Sunday, January 29
Los Angeles, Calif.
8:00 PM PT
Princeton University
at
UCLA
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Princeton Opens California Trio With Sunday Showdown At #2 UCLA On Pac-12 Network
January 27, 2017 | Men's Volleyball
For the second time this month, the Princeton men's volleyball team is heading west.
And for the second time this month, the Tigers won't be easing into their trip.
Four weeks after taking on a pair of nationally ranked teams at the Outrigger Invitational, the Princeton men's volleyball team will open its annual post-Finals California trip with a Sunday night showdown against No. 2 UCLA (8 pm PT) at Pauley Pavilion. The match will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network, with Kevin Barnett and legendary former UCLA coach Al Scates calling the action. Princeton will stay in California for the week to both train and compete against UC-San Diego (Feb. 1, 6 pm PT) and Concordia (Feb. 3, 7 pm PT).
Princeton head coach Sam Shweisky was a guest on this week's TigerCast, where he talked about his young squad, his All-East middle Junior Oboh, and the excitement and opportunity of playing against the second-ranked Bruins. You can listen to the interview below.
While Shweisky and his young Tigers will be looking for a full week of improvement, all eyes are on the opening match against No. 2 UCLA. Below are notes on that showdown.
Return Of The Tigers
The Princeton men's volleyball team returns to action Sunday night at 8 pm PT to take on the No. 2 UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. The Tigers will have been off for 17 days since their last match, a 3-0 home win over North Greenville, due to the University exam schedule.
Rank And File
Since becoming a full varsity program prior to the 1997 season, the Princeton men's volleyball team has won 11 matches over ranked teams, including five in the last five years. Ironically enough, the first of those wins came exactly five years before the UCLA match, a 3-1 Princeton win over No. 12 UC-Santa Barbara on Jan. 29, 2013.
Over the last 5 years, Princeton also defeated No. 14 Harvard (2013), No. 10 Penn State (2014), No. 13 Cal-State Northridge (2015), and No. 13 Harvard (2015).
Two Much
Princeton has never defeated a team with a Top-5 national ranking. The last time Princeton has played a team ranked as high as No. 2 was last season at Pauley Pavilion, when the top-ranked UCLA Bruins posted a 25-19, 25-22, 25-16 victory over the Tigers. Though this match comes only one year later, Princeton will likely have only one similar starter this season, and he will likely play at a different position (Corry Short — OH in 2016, Lib in 2017).
Junior Mint
Princeton is led by All-East middle Junior Oboh, who earned 2015 first-team All-EIVA honors after ranking second in the league in blocks (1.01) and third in the league in attack percentage (.386). Oboh, a starter on Princeton's 2014 EIVA finalist squad, posted an attack percentage that was 10th best in the NCAA that season, while his blocks total was 26th.
Fresh Faces
Princeton has brought in one of the nation's most highly touted recruiting classes. The foursome of Parker Dixon (OH), Shane Gooding (S), George Huhmann (MB), and Greg Luck (OH) was ranked seventh in the nation — and second in the EIVA — by VolleyballMag.com. One of the few programs to be ranked above the Tigers will be on the other side of the court, as UCLA was picked third on the list.
Early Tests
Princeton head coach Sam Shweisky didn't waste any time throwing his freshmen into the fire, as the Tigers competed at the 23rd annual Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Invitational earlier this month, and they nearly opened the season with a stunner. Princeton had four match balls before dropping a
25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 21-19 match to No. 15 Ball State. All four freshmen were on the court during the final two sets, including Greg Luck, who had 19 kills in the match.
I'm Honored
While Luck had the majority of success against Ball State, classmate Parker Dixon was named to the All-Tournament team in Hawaii after averaging 10.0 kills over the three matches, including a 12-kill effort in a victory over Erskine.
About Sam Shweisky
Princeton head coach Sam Shweisky, a former EIVA Head Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season as head coach of the Tigers. He has guided the Tigers to two EIVA championship matches (2010, 2014), and he also serves as head coach of the U.S.A. Youth National Team. His team qualified for the 2017 World Championships this past summer; his associate head coach for the Youth National Team is current UCLA assistant coach Brad Keller.
About Princeton
Princeton has a proud tradition of men's volleyball. The Tigers were a club varsity team competing at the Division I level for more than two decades before earning full varsity status in 1997. The previous head coach, Glenn Nelson, was the first coach in NCAA history to take both a men's and women's team to the NCAA Championships in the same year (1998). The men advanced by winning their only EIVA title in 1998, a 3-0 win over Rutgers (following a win over Penn State in the semifinal); that year, UCLA won the NCAA championship under Al Scates with a 3-0 win over No. 1 Pepperdine.
And for the second time this month, the Tigers won't be easing into their trip.
Four weeks after taking on a pair of nationally ranked teams at the Outrigger Invitational, the Princeton men's volleyball team will open its annual post-Finals California trip with a Sunday night showdown against No. 2 UCLA (8 pm PT) at Pauley Pavilion. The match will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network, with Kevin Barnett and legendary former UCLA coach Al Scates calling the action. Princeton will stay in California for the week to both train and compete against UC-San Diego (Feb. 1, 6 pm PT) and Concordia (Feb. 3, 7 pm PT).
Princeton head coach Sam Shweisky was a guest on this week's TigerCast, where he talked about his young squad, his All-East middle Junior Oboh, and the excitement and opportunity of playing against the second-ranked Bruins. You can listen to the interview below.
While Shweisky and his young Tigers will be looking for a full week of improvement, all eyes are on the opening match against No. 2 UCLA. Below are notes on that showdown.
Return Of The Tigers
The Princeton men's volleyball team returns to action Sunday night at 8 pm PT to take on the No. 2 UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. The Tigers will have been off for 17 days since their last match, a 3-0 home win over North Greenville, due to the University exam schedule.
Rank And File
Since becoming a full varsity program prior to the 1997 season, the Princeton men's volleyball team has won 11 matches over ranked teams, including five in the last five years. Ironically enough, the first of those wins came exactly five years before the UCLA match, a 3-1 Princeton win over No. 12 UC-Santa Barbara on Jan. 29, 2013.
Over the last 5 years, Princeton also defeated No. 14 Harvard (2013), No. 10 Penn State (2014), No. 13 Cal-State Northridge (2015), and No. 13 Harvard (2015).
Two Much
Princeton has never defeated a team with a Top-5 national ranking. The last time Princeton has played a team ranked as high as No. 2 was last season at Pauley Pavilion, when the top-ranked UCLA Bruins posted a 25-19, 25-22, 25-16 victory over the Tigers. Though this match comes only one year later, Princeton will likely have only one similar starter this season, and he will likely play at a different position (Corry Short — OH in 2016, Lib in 2017).
Junior Mint
Princeton is led by All-East middle Junior Oboh, who earned 2015 first-team All-EIVA honors after ranking second in the league in blocks (1.01) and third in the league in attack percentage (.386). Oboh, a starter on Princeton's 2014 EIVA finalist squad, posted an attack percentage that was 10th best in the NCAA that season, while his blocks total was 26th.
Fresh Faces
Princeton has brought in one of the nation's most highly touted recruiting classes. The foursome of Parker Dixon (OH), Shane Gooding (S), George Huhmann (MB), and Greg Luck (OH) was ranked seventh in the nation — and second in the EIVA — by VolleyballMag.com. One of the few programs to be ranked above the Tigers will be on the other side of the court, as UCLA was picked third on the list.
Early Tests
Princeton head coach Sam Shweisky didn't waste any time throwing his freshmen into the fire, as the Tigers competed at the 23rd annual Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Invitational earlier this month, and they nearly opened the season with a stunner. Princeton had four match balls before dropping a
25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 21-19 match to No. 15 Ball State. All four freshmen were on the court during the final two sets, including Greg Luck, who had 19 kills in the match.
I'm Honored
While Luck had the majority of success against Ball State, classmate Parker Dixon was named to the All-Tournament team in Hawaii after averaging 10.0 kills over the three matches, including a 12-kill effort in a victory over Erskine.
About Sam Shweisky
Princeton head coach Sam Shweisky, a former EIVA Head Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season as head coach of the Tigers. He has guided the Tigers to two EIVA championship matches (2010, 2014), and he also serves as head coach of the U.S.A. Youth National Team. His team qualified for the 2017 World Championships this past summer; his associate head coach for the Youth National Team is current UCLA assistant coach Brad Keller.
About Princeton
Princeton has a proud tradition of men's volleyball. The Tigers were a club varsity team competing at the Division I level for more than two decades before earning full varsity status in 1997. The previous head coach, Glenn Nelson, was the first coach in NCAA history to take both a men's and women's team to the NCAA Championships in the same year (1998). The men advanced by winning their only EIVA title in 1998, a 3-0 win over Rutgers (following a win over Penn State in the semifinal); that year, UCLA won the NCAA championship under Al Scates with a 3-0 win over No. 1 Pepperdine.
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