Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, February 18
Princeton, N.J.
7:00 PM
Princeton University
vs
George Mason
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Early Parity Sets Up Huge EIVA Saturday Night Home Match vs. George Mason
February 17, 2017 | Men's Volleyball
After a wild five days inside Dillon Gym that sent the young Princeton men's volleyball team to a strong position in the early EIVA standings, the Tigers will look to punctuate its league-opening four-match homestand with a major statement win.
Princeton (4-6, 2-1 EIVA) will host reigning EIVA champion George Mason (5-5, 2-1) in a Saturday night showdown inside Dillon Gym. The match will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network, though the Tigers are hoping for another strong crowd inside Dillon Gym. With both basketball teams and men's hockey on the road, and all Princeton home teams likely competing during the afternoon, this could be the only athletic competition going on at Old Nassau Saturday night.
And it's a big one.
Princeton left California less than two weeks ago with a 2-5 record and no idea if it was truly ready to compete in the EIVA with such an inexperienced roster. The Tigers answered those questions in impressive fashion, beginning with a 3-2 comeback win over Saint Francis Friday. One night later, the Tigers raced out to a 2-0 lead and served a match ball against 13th-ranked Penn State, though the Nittany Lions fought out of that hole for a 3-2 win. Princeton showed impressive resilience only three nights later when it defeated a talented NJIT team 3-1 in Dillon Gym.
Meanwhile, the rest of the league spent those days beating each other: Penn State beat NJIT in 5. NJIT beat Saint Francis in 5. Saint Francis beat Penn State in 5. Harvard beat George Mason. George Mason beat Harvard.
Those results could indicate that there is more parity in the EIVA this year than in any other, and Princeton could take advantage of an early home schedule by putting itself in a good early position in the standings. That chance comes Saturday against a veteran George Mason squad that lost only one starter from the first Eastern team other than Penn State to advance to the NCAA tournament this century. The Patriots, who will open their EIVA road weekend Friday night at NJIT, come into the weekend having lost four of five, although three of their five overall losses this season have come to nationally ranked opponents.
Two of the league's top hitters will take the court Saturday. Princeton's Kendall Ratter (a guest on this week's TigerCast, which is linked below) had 53 kills during a career performance last weekend, and he ranks third in the EIVA with 3.74 kills per set. Mason's Jack Wilson is sixth in the league with 3.28.
Princeton (4-6, 2-1 EIVA) will host reigning EIVA champion George Mason (5-5, 2-1) in a Saturday night showdown inside Dillon Gym. The match will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network, though the Tigers are hoping for another strong crowd inside Dillon Gym. With both basketball teams and men's hockey on the road, and all Princeton home teams likely competing during the afternoon, this could be the only athletic competition going on at Old Nassau Saturday night.
And it's a big one.
| MATCH LINKS: Live Video l Live Stats EIVA LINKS: Standings l League Leaders |
Princeton left California less than two weeks ago with a 2-5 record and no idea if it was truly ready to compete in the EIVA with such an inexperienced roster. The Tigers answered those questions in impressive fashion, beginning with a 3-2 comeback win over Saint Francis Friday. One night later, the Tigers raced out to a 2-0 lead and served a match ball against 13th-ranked Penn State, though the Nittany Lions fought out of that hole for a 3-2 win. Princeton showed impressive resilience only three nights later when it defeated a talented NJIT team 3-1 in Dillon Gym.
Meanwhile, the rest of the league spent those days beating each other: Penn State beat NJIT in 5. NJIT beat Saint Francis in 5. Saint Francis beat Penn State in 5. Harvard beat George Mason. George Mason beat Harvard.
Those results could indicate that there is more parity in the EIVA this year than in any other, and Princeton could take advantage of an early home schedule by putting itself in a good early position in the standings. That chance comes Saturday against a veteran George Mason squad that lost only one starter from the first Eastern team other than Penn State to advance to the NCAA tournament this century. The Patriots, who will open their EIVA road weekend Friday night at NJIT, come into the weekend having lost four of five, although three of their five overall losses this season have come to nationally ranked opponents.
Two of the league's top hitters will take the court Saturday. Princeton's Kendall Ratter (a guest on this week's TigerCast, which is linked below) had 53 kills during a career performance last weekend, and he ranks third in the EIVA with 3.74 kills per set. Mason's Jack Wilson is sixth in the league with 3.28.
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