Early PSU Rally Pushes Nittany Lions To Tight Win Over Young Princeton Squad In EIVA Semifinal

Thursday, April 20

University Park, PA

7:30 PM

Princeton University

12-14

Penn State (EIVA Semifinal)

20-10

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Princeton	23	19	23	0
Penn State	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Early PSU Rally Pushes Nittany Lions To Tight Win Over Young Princeton Squad In EIVA Semifinal

April 20, 2017 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

The young Princeton men's volleyball team brought big dreams to Rec Hall Thursday night, and they played like a team ready to make them a reality early in its EIVA semifinal showdown at top-seeded Penn State. Unfortunately, a Nittany Lion rally in the opening set laid the foundation for a tough 3-0 win over the Tigers, who end their impressive 2017 season one match short of the league championship round.

Princeton, which won only six matches last season, ends the 2017 season with a 12-14 record after a 25-23, 25-19, 25-23 loss to the Nittany Lions, who will face second-seeded Saint Francis Saturday night in the EIVA championship. Penn State is 36-1 in its last 37 EIVA postseason matches; its lone loss came to the Red Flash in last year's semifinal match.

This one got away from Princeton midway through the first set. A kill by Kendall Ratter opened a 15-10 lead, but Penn State scored the next two, and then got a third point on an overturned challenge by Penn State. Princeton got one back, but Penn State stayed close and then added another 3-0 run later on the serve of Chris Nugent to even the match at 20-20. A Ratter kill and a Junior Oboh ace gave Princeton a 22-20 lead, but the hosts rallied with four of the final five points to take the opening set.

Penn State clearly fed off the momentum and took control of the second set fairly early. The Nittany Lions led the third most of the way as well, but Princeton showed impressive fight in getting back to within one point late. Oboh got the Tigers to within 23-22 on a service ace, and Ratter fended off one match ball with a kill to make it 24-23. Nugent took a swing for Penn State on the ensuing point, which Corry Short was able to dig, but the ball floated just beyond the Penn State back line to end the match.

Both Ratter and All-EIVA rookie Parker Dixon led Princeton with 12 kills, while Oboh added seven kills, two aces and two blocks. Freshman Greg Luck added six kills, while EIVA Newcomer of the Year George Huhmann — who joined Oboh on the All-EIVA First Team — added three kills and two blocks.

The lone senior starter for Princeton, setter Jonah May, guided the offense with 36 assists, while Short had nine digs.

Princeton is the only team with three returning All-EIVA players, and it has six starters returning for next season.