Tigers Will Honor Class Of 2018 Tuesday Prior To Erskine Match

The Princeton men's volleyball team knows that the fate of its season rests on the final five matches, all in EIVA play, and all beginning Saturday night in Dillon Gym against league frontrunner George Mason. However, the Tigers have one more nonleague match still to go, and they plan to celebrate their three members of the Class of 2018 prior to that match.

Princeton (8-12), which saw its seven-match win streak end late last week at McKendree, will try to start a similar stretch Tuesday at 7 pm against Erskine College in a match that will be streamed live on the Ivy League Network. Erskine (6-14) is on a spring break trip through the EIVA, a stretch that begins Monday night against Sacred Heart and will conclude Wednesday at NJIT.

While the Tigers would love to grab momentum heading into Saturday's showdown with a George Mason team that fell just outside the AVCA Top 15 in the latest national rankings, they are also looking forward to honoring Mike Fuerst, Junior Oboh and Trey Sickler prior to the match. That trio has played an important role in the growth of the program over several years, and their leadership was especially critical when a slow start threatened to torpedo the 2018 season less than a month ago.

Oboh has been one of the EIVA's top middles throughout his career, and he is the only player this century to start in two Tiger wins over Penn State. A two-time first-team All-EIVA middle, Oboh has more than 500 kills and 300 blocks in his career, and he was recently named the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week following a weekend sweep of NJIT. A team captain and four-year starter, Oboh's influence has ranged beyond the volleyball court; he holds a leadership position on the Varsity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which benefits all of Princeton's 37 teams.

Fuerst has been a versatile option for Shweisky over his four years, and he has provided more than 150 kills and nearly 70 blocks in his career. He had one of his most complete efforts against Erskine last season, when he had six kills, five digs, and two blocks in a victory. His strong leadership has been recognized by his teammates, as he was named a team captain during his junior year.

Sickler walked on to the program as a freshman and has worked tirelessly to improve and add anything he could to the team. His work ethic led him to a point where he entered the Penn State match earlier this season and helped the Tigers fight off eight match balls and ultimately beat the ranked Nittany Lions in a five-set thriller. He followed that up with an 11-block weekend when Princeton swept nearby rival NJIT.

"I am so proud of what this senior class has meant to Princeton Volleyball," said head coach Sam Shweisky. "Anyone can lead when it is easy, but it takes a strong moral fiber to lead when the chips are down. Mike, Junior and Trey have been the backbone of this program for a long time and they have worked hard to maintain a standard of excellence on the court, as well as a deep respect for the great history and tradition that came before them off the court. Their greatest gift has been their leadership in their final senior season as they worked tirelessly to lead and mentor a young team from a 1-11 auspicious start to back into the brink of playoff contention. A class filled with character (and characters) they will all be sorely missed."

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