Princeton University Athletics
Thursday, April 20
University Park, PA
7:30 PM
Princeton University
at
Penn State (EIVA Semifinal)
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
One More Point, One More Match – Tigers Bring Big Dreams Into EIVA Semifinal
April 19, 2017 | Men's Volleyball
KEY LINKS: Tournament Central l Huhmann Earns Newcomer of the Year, Leads Three On All-EIVA Team
One more point.
For the Princeton men's volleyball team, that has been the difference — so far — between a positive season and an incredible one. It's been the difference — so far — between a surprising season and a shocking one.
It's what Princeton will look for when it takes the court at Rec Hall Thursday night in the second EIVA semifinal match.
One more point.
Princeton, which starts three freshmen this season and has only two similar starters from its 2016 squad, figured to be in the early stage of a rebuilding process this season. The Tigers accelerated that process early by winning of three of their first four home EIVA matches, and then following with a five-set thriller at Harvard to move into first place in league play.
That one loss? It may have turned more heads than any of the wins. Princeton jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Penn State and served a match ball at 24-23 in the fourth, but the Nittany Lions fought it off and ultimately claimed a 15-9 win in the fifth set.
Unsurprisingly with such a young, untested roster, the Tigers dealt with some midseason struggles, but Princeton started to regain its footing during a Spring Break trip. An impressive showing against third-ranked BYU and then a win at Grand Canyon began to right the ship. They returned to EIVA play at Penn State and came closer than any previous Tiger team to leaving Happy Valley victorious. Princeton took the second and third sets, and it jumped out to a 13-9 lead in the fifth before the Nittany Lions rallied again. The Tigers would serve match ball once again at 14-13, but Penn State had another answer and ultimately finished the thriller with a 19-17 win.
Still, Princeton left the court knowing it could compete with anybody in the league playoffs, but it needed to find a way to finish off enough matches just to get there.
That final sprint started one week later when the Tigers went to reigning EIVA champion George Mason in a critical match for both teams. Led by its All-EIVA trio, Princeton found a way to win 3-1. Six days after that, they welcomed Harvard to Dillon Gym under the same circumstances and played arguably their finest match of the season.
George Mason and Harvard both missed the postseason. Princeton, with all of its energetic youth and a senior setter in his first season as a full-time starter, earned the last spot.
The postseason opens Thursday at 5 pm between Saint Francis — the team that ended Penn State's 17-year championship reign last year — and Sacred Heart — which owns the best record against the rest of the playoff field (4-2) — at Rec Hall. The winner will take on either Penn State or Princeton, a 7:30 match you can follow through the free live video stream or via live stats.
Since Princeton defeated Penn State in the 1998 EIVA semifinal, the two teams have met seven times in the postseason, all of which were played in Rec Hall. Five were semifinals, two were championship matches (2010, 2014), and all seven were 3-0 wins for the Nittany Lions. Penn State is trying to reclaim the league crown and return to the NCAA Championships, and they carry the confidence and experience from a win over then-top-ranked Ohio State less than one month ago.
So the hill is steep for Princeton, but it doesn't seem as insurmountable as it might have at the beginning of the season.
The Tigers will be led by the only two first-team All-EIVA middles in George Huhmann and Junior Oboh. Huhmann, who also became Princeton's third Newcomer of the Year since 2010, had one of the Tigers' most brilliant performances this decade when he blocked 12 Penn State swings in the five-set thriller at Rec Hall last month. Oboh is the only Tiger starter who was on the court when Princeton defeated Penn State in 2014, and he had nine kills and four blocks the last time they met.
Both Parker Dixon and Kendall Ratter have shown the ability to hit from the outside against anybody in the nation. Dixon earned AVCA National Player of the Year honors after guiding Princeton to wins over both NJIT and Mason, and he led the Tigers in both kills (2.83) and points (3.23) this season. Ratter raised his game against the best opponents; in Princeton's six matches against nationally ranked opponents, Ratter led Princeton in kills (3.38) and points (4.08), and his hitting percentage (.273) was more than 100 points higher than the team average.
Senior setter Jonah May will see his first postseason action, but his leadership and presence has helped guide the Tigers through the season. Freshman Greg Luck (OH/OPP) had an 11-kill, nine-dig effort at Penn State last month, while sophomore Corry Short has averaged eight digs per match in the two against Penn State.
The combined effort twice this season against Penn State has been just short of incredible.
Now they get one more opportunity — and the most important one — to go all the way.
One more point, on the way to one more match.
One more point.
For the Princeton men's volleyball team, that has been the difference — so far — between a positive season and an incredible one. It's been the difference — so far — between a surprising season and a shocking one.
It's what Princeton will look for when it takes the court at Rec Hall Thursday night in the second EIVA semifinal match.
One more point.
Princeton, which starts three freshmen this season and has only two similar starters from its 2016 squad, figured to be in the early stage of a rebuilding process this season. The Tigers accelerated that process early by winning of three of their first four home EIVA matches, and then following with a five-set thriller at Harvard to move into first place in league play.
That one loss? It may have turned more heads than any of the wins. Princeton jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Penn State and served a match ball at 24-23 in the fourth, but the Nittany Lions fought it off and ultimately claimed a 15-9 win in the fifth set.
Unsurprisingly with such a young, untested roster, the Tigers dealt with some midseason struggles, but Princeton started to regain its footing during a Spring Break trip. An impressive showing against third-ranked BYU and then a win at Grand Canyon began to right the ship. They returned to EIVA play at Penn State and came closer than any previous Tiger team to leaving Happy Valley victorious. Princeton took the second and third sets, and it jumped out to a 13-9 lead in the fifth before the Nittany Lions rallied again. The Tigers would serve match ball once again at 14-13, but Penn State had another answer and ultimately finished the thriller with a 19-17 win.
Still, Princeton left the court knowing it could compete with anybody in the league playoffs, but it needed to find a way to finish off enough matches just to get there.
That final sprint started one week later when the Tigers went to reigning EIVA champion George Mason in a critical match for both teams. Led by its All-EIVA trio, Princeton found a way to win 3-1. Six days after that, they welcomed Harvard to Dillon Gym under the same circumstances and played arguably their finest match of the season.
George Mason and Harvard both missed the postseason. Princeton, with all of its energetic youth and a senior setter in his first season as a full-time starter, earned the last spot.
The postseason opens Thursday at 5 pm between Saint Francis — the team that ended Penn State's 17-year championship reign last year — and Sacred Heart — which owns the best record against the rest of the playoff field (4-2) — at Rec Hall. The winner will take on either Penn State or Princeton, a 7:30 match you can follow through the free live video stream or via live stats.
Since Princeton defeated Penn State in the 1998 EIVA semifinal, the two teams have met seven times in the postseason, all of which were played in Rec Hall. Five were semifinals, two were championship matches (2010, 2014), and all seven were 3-0 wins for the Nittany Lions. Penn State is trying to reclaim the league crown and return to the NCAA Championships, and they carry the confidence and experience from a win over then-top-ranked Ohio State less than one month ago.
So the hill is steep for Princeton, but it doesn't seem as insurmountable as it might have at the beginning of the season.
The Tigers will be led by the only two first-team All-EIVA middles in George Huhmann and Junior Oboh. Huhmann, who also became Princeton's third Newcomer of the Year since 2010, had one of the Tigers' most brilliant performances this decade when he blocked 12 Penn State swings in the five-set thriller at Rec Hall last month. Oboh is the only Tiger starter who was on the court when Princeton defeated Penn State in 2014, and he had nine kills and four blocks the last time they met.
Both Parker Dixon and Kendall Ratter have shown the ability to hit from the outside against anybody in the nation. Dixon earned AVCA National Player of the Year honors after guiding Princeton to wins over both NJIT and Mason, and he led the Tigers in both kills (2.83) and points (3.23) this season. Ratter raised his game against the best opponents; in Princeton's six matches against nationally ranked opponents, Ratter led Princeton in kills (3.38) and points (4.08), and his hitting percentage (.273) was more than 100 points higher than the team average.
Senior setter Jonah May will see his first postseason action, but his leadership and presence has helped guide the Tigers through the season. Freshman Greg Luck (OH/OPP) had an 11-kill, nine-dig effort at Penn State last month, while sophomore Corry Short has averaged eight digs per match in the two against Penn State.
The combined effort twice this season against Penn State has been just short of incredible.
Now they get one more opportunity — and the most important one — to go all the way.
One more point, on the way to one more match.
Wednesday, September 24
Tuesday, June 04
Wednesday, June 22
Monday, June 06