Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Volleyball Jumps Into 2019 Season (In 2018) With Loaded Opening Week
December 28, 2018 | Men's Volleyball
LINKS
Dec. 30 // Pepperdine: Live Video l Live Stats
Jan. 2 // UCLA: Live Video
Jan. 4 // Ball State: Live Stats
Jan. 5 // Purdue Fort Wayne: Live Video l Live Stats
Less than two weeks after Princeton was picked atop the 2019 EIVA preseason poll, the Tigers will open their season by testing themselves against some of the highest-ranked teams in the nation.
Oh, and they'll open 2019 in 2018. Just go with it.
Princeton, coming off a dramatic run from a 1-11 start to the 2018 EIVA championship match, will make its season debut Sunday, Dec. 30, at 8 pm ET (5 pm local) at #6 Pepperdine, which owns a 5-0 record all-time against Princeton. The match will be streamed live WaveCasts on TheW.tv; all links for following matches during the opening week can be found above.
Three days after facing the sixth-ranked team in the nation, Princeton will head to Los Angeles to face reigning NCAA finalist and second-ranked UCLA in a 10 pm ET (7 pm local) showdown on the PAC-12 Network. The MPSF preseason favorites return a pair of All-Americans in setter Micah Ma'a and middle blocker Daenan Gyimah, the latter of which had six blocks in a 3-0 UCLA win over Princeton last February.
Princeton will start making its way back east after the UCLA match, but the Tigers will make a midwestern stop for a pair of matches against both Ball State and #14 Purdue-Fort Wayne. Ball State was picked to finish fourth in the MIVA, and it joined Princeton among the top teams receiving votes just outside the AVCA Top 15. Purdue Fort Wayne shared the #14 position with Grand Canyon, and this match will have a family showdown for the second straight year. Fort Wayne, which knocked off Princeton in Dillon Gym last season, is led by senior setter Michael Keegan, the older brother of Princeton libero Cade Keegan.
The Tigers will be led this season by the junior trio of George Huhmann, Parker Dixon and Greg Luck. Huhmann is a two-time first-team All-EIVA honoree, and he earned preseason All-America recognition heading into the 2019 season. Both Dixon and Luck have shown tremendous growth after two years in the starting lineup, and they will help Princeton have an explosive veteran presence on the floor.
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