Princeton Heads To Harvard To Open Key EIVA Weekend

The EIVA race is coming down to the final stretch, and Princeton has positioned itself nicely to get one of those critical four berths in the postseason. The Tigers will need to secure that spot away from Dillon Gym though, and that stretch opens up Friday night in Boston against one of their biggest rivals.

Princeton (9-13, 5-5 EIVA) will take on Harvard (9-11, 8-2 EIVA) Friday night at 7 pm live on the Ivy League Network (see links below), and then will head to Fairfield, Conn., the next day to take on Sacred Heart (5-12, 1-9 EIVA) at 5 pm in a match streamed live on NEC Front Row. Should the Tigers sweep the weekend and get a little bit of help, they could have that final postseason berth clinched before they start packing their bags for the final weekend of the regular season at both Penn State and Saint Francis.

WEEKEND LINKS
Harvard: Live Video l Live Stats
Sacred Heart: Live Video l Live Stats

One step at a time, though, for a Princeton team that has done a remarkable job climbing out of an early hole. A 3-0 home loss to Harvard on Feb. 23 left the Tigers winless in the EIVA through four matches and left hopes of a playoff spot seemingly on life support. They would go on to win their next five league matches, including one in which they saved eight match balls against Penn State, to move back into position, but the Tigers understand that there are still three programs (Charleston, Saint Francis, and NJIT) that could catch them at the wire.

Friday night will be a huge match for both teams, and that goes beyond the simple rivalry between the only two Ivy League men's volleyball programs in the NCAA. Harvard, which is coming off a 3-2 home win over Penn State last weekend, is in position to host the EIVA playoffs if it runs the table over the final two weekends. George Mason leads the EIVA at 10-0, including a tight 3-2 win over Princeton last weekend, but the Patriots still have two matches to go against the Crimson next weekend in Fairfax, Va.

Princeton has been mathematically eliminated from contention to host the playoffs, but the Tigers could actually finish as high as #3 with a strong finish and a little help. Seeding, ultimately, is secondary to simple postseason qualification, and head coach Sam Shweisky will be looking to his strong sophomore trio to help carry the team across that line. Reigning EIVA Newcomer of the Year George Huhmann is averaging 3.8 kills and 1.2 blocks per set over the last 10 matches, and has hit .300 over that stretch; he has won two EIVA Offensive Player of the Week awards over that time, and he was the Defensive Player of the Week as well following the wins over Penn State and Saint Francis.

Both Parker Dixon and Greg Luck have also provided a big spark recently. Dixon is averaging 2.9 kills, 1.6 digs and 0.7 blocks per set over the last 10, while Luck is averaging 2.6 kills and a team-best 2.1 digs over that stretch. Senior middle Junior Oboh, another former Defensive Player of the Week over this stretch, has matched Huhmann with 1.2 blocks per set, and he is hitting over .300.

You can find the EIVA standings here.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results