At Long Last, Volleyball Team Prepares For Home Debut, Including Ivy Playoff Rematch Saturday

Friday, September 28

Princeton, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

Brown

Photo by: Luke Lu

At Long Last, Volleyball Team Prepares For Home Debut, Including Ivy Playoff Rematch Saturday

September 26, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

It may seem like forever since the Ivy League champion Princeton women's volleyball team took the court at Dillon Gym, but it really hasn't been that long. It's only been (checks calendar) … close to 11 months.

That's long enough for a program that has been atop the Ivy League standings for the last three years, especially for one that has played so well in front of its home crowd.

Princeton will make its 2018 home debut in a pair of matches this weekend, beginning Friday night at 7 pm in a home showdown with the Brown Bears. The following night, Princeton will host Yale in a rematch of the 2017 Ivy League playoff match, which the Tigers won in a wild three sets.

WEEKEND LINKS
LIVE VIDEO: Brown l Yale
LIVE STATS: Brown l Yale

Princeton (8-4, 1-0 Ivy) has put together a balanced offensive attack this season, with the trio of Devon Peterkin, Maggie O'Connell, and Clare Lenihan leading the way. Each has averaged at least 3.0 points per set, including Peterkin, a two-time Ivy League Player of the Week. The All-Ivy outside earned the most recent league honor after recording 16 kills and 13 digs in the 3-0 sweep at Penn last weekend, while reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Maggie O'Connell leads the team in both points (3.37) and kills (3.08) per set. Lenihan has been the surprise story of the season, as she broke into the starting lineup and is hitting .366 with an even 3.0 kills per set this season.

Another new starter for Princeton has been freshman libero Cameron Dames, who is averaging 5.7 digs per set over her last five matches. Dames was selected to the Cherry & White all-tournament team two weeks ago, and she made her Ivy debut with 13 digs last Friday in the 3-0 win over Penn.

Brown (7-4, 0-1 Ivy) comes into the weekend with the Ivy League's most efficient offense (.241), as well as its most explosive hitter. Senior Sabrina Stillwell leads the Ivy League with 4.52 kills/set this season, which is a full kill better than anybody else in Ivy play, while sophomore Eliza Grover is third in the league with 3.45 kills per set. Freshman setter Kristin Sellers is second to Princeton's Jessie Harris in assists per set (10.52/11.28).

Yale (7-3, 1-0 Ivy) got off to a winning start in Ivy play last weekend with a road win at Brown, and it placed just behind Princeton in the inaugural Ivy League preseason poll, which was announced several weeks ago. While Brown has been explosive offensively, Yale has been equally stingy defensively; the Bulldogs lead the Ivies with a .160 opponent hitting percentage. Senior Kate Swanson leads the Ivy League in digs (5.03 per set), while Dames is second with 4.86 per set.

You can watch both matches, as well as all Princeton home and the majority of its road Ivy matches, on ESPN+ this season.