#2 UCLA Fends Off Upset Bid, Tops Princeton Inside Pauley Pavilion

Wednesday, January 2

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:00 PM PST

Princeton University

0-2

UCLA

1-0

Princeton

UCLA

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

#2 UCLA Fends Off Upset Bid, Tops Princeton Inside Pauley Pavilion

January 02, 2019 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

BOX SCORE

Over the first few days of the 2019 season, the Princeton men's volleyball team proved it could play with the best teams in the nation. That level of confidence could do wonders when EIVA play rolls around next month.

Three days after Princeton took a set off the sixth-ranked Pepperdine Waves, Princeton held a set ball in the second and hung around #2 UCLA throughout a tough 3-0 loss inside Pauley Pavilion.

Princeton expected its junior trio of Parker Dixon, George Huhmann and Greg Luck to lead away against its highest-level opponents, but those three combined to provide almost the entire offense against the Bruins. The trio combined for 25 of the team's 26 kills, including a team-best 11 from preseason All-American George Huhmann, who also hit .667 and added three blocks.

Dixon, coming off a strong opener against Pepperdine, added 10 kills, three blocks and an ace, while Luck contributed four kills. Freshman Brady Wedbush supplied the only other kill, while he also added a pair of blocks. As a team, Princeton doubled up the Bruins in blocks.

Sophomore Joe Kelly had 19 blocks and a pair of digs for Princeton, while senior Corry Short added a trio of digs in the loss.

Princeton played its most competitive set in the middle of the match; the Tigers grabbed a 15-10 midway through, but UCLA clawed its way back with strong serving and an explosive offense. Princeton held the advantage to a 24-23 lead, but UCLA ran off the final three points to take the set, and the Bruins carried the momentum from that to a third-set clincher.

The Tigers will work their way back east, but they'll make a pit stop in Indiana this weekend for a pair of matches, starting Friday at 7 pm at Ball State. The next day, the Keegan brothers will meet up for a second straight year when Princeton takes on #13 Purdue Fort Wayne at 7 pm.