Princeton Sweeps Harvard, Keeps Ivy Hopes Alive For 2018 Finale

Friday, November 9

Princeton, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

18-6, 11-2Ivy

Harvard

10-12, 5-8Ivy

Harvard

Princeton

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Princeton Sweeps Harvard, Keeps Ivy Hopes Alive For 2018 Finale

November 09, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Junior Devon Peterkin led Princeton with 14 kills, while sophomore Alexa Underwood added 10, to guide the Tiger women's volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over Harvard Friday night in Dillon Gym. The win helped Princeton remain alive in the Ivy League championship chase heading into the final day of the season. Yale, which used a dramatic third-set rally to post a 3-0 win over Cornell Friday, clinched a share of the title, and will play for the outright championship Saturday against Columbia. If the Lions pull the upset, Princeton could defeat Dartmouth on Senior Day (5 pm, ESPN+) to grab a share of its fourth straight Ivy League title.

Princeton took care of business Friday night with efficient hitting throughout the match. Peterkin led all players with her 14 kills, and she hit .324 for the night, while Underwood hit .333 in the 25-17, 25-23, 25-13 victory. Sophomore middle Clare Lenihan had eight kills without an error (.444), while reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Maggie O'Connell had nine kills and hit .261.

Junior setter Jessie Harris had 43 assists and nine digs, and she also had a brilliant kill to end a wild set point that gave Princeton a 2-0 lead in the match.

Jessie Harris with the brilliant touch over her head to put away set #2! Princeton leads Harvard 2-0. Watch the match live on ESPN+! https://t.co/6KCeqkMh9b pic.twitter.com/8jmAxOYnFz
— PrincetonVolley (@PrincetonVolley) November 10, 2018

Underwood led Princeton with 13 digs, while freshman Cameron Dames added 12. Senior Caroline Sklaver was one of four Tigers with three blocks in the win.

Princeton will honor its senior class of Nnenna Ibe, Claire Nussbaum, Caroline Sklaver and Brittany Smith prior to Saturday's match. Those four players have helped lead Princeton to an incredible 70-28 record over the last four years, as well as two trips to the NCAA tournament. After losing the first three Ivy League matches of their careers, they have gone 44-8 in league play since. Sklaver and Ibe both earned All-Ivy honors during the 2017 championship season, while Nussbaum was the starting setter for the 2015 championship team. Smith provided depth at the rightside position and had a huge performance in a key comeback win at Brown during the 2015 championship season.