.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Friday, November 22
Princeton, N.J.
7:00 PM
Princeton University
17-7, 10-2
3
vs
1
Yale
15-8, 10-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale | 25 | 21 | 24 | 15 | 1 |
| Princeton | 23 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Women’s Volleyball Overcomes Yale & Earns Trip to NCAA Championships
November 22, 2019 | Women's Volleyball
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton University women's volleyball team will be going dancing for the eighth time in program history as it earned a spot at the NCAA Championships after taking down Yale University 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-15) Friday night inside a packed Dillon Gymnasium.
Princeton last went to the NCAA Championships in 2017, also after hosting and defeating the Bulldogs in an Ivy League playoff match.
Junior Elena Montgomery led Princeton with a match-high 19 kills with a .315 hitting percentage. Senior Jessie Harris reached the 1000-assist mark on the season as she had a double-double with a match-high 57 assists and 10 digs while Senior Natasha Skov added 16 kills and eight digs. Junior Clare Lenihan contributed 13 kills, four blocks and three digs while freshman Olivia Schewe added eight kills on an incredible .727 hitting percentage. Sophomore Cameron Dames led the team in digs with 23 while Grace Klepetka finished with a match and career-high three service aces.
Yale got off to a promising start as it took a 23-16 lead in the first set. Led off by a kill by senior Maggie O'Connell, Princeton went on a 7-0 run that also featured three Lenihan kills, a Montgomery kill and a pair of errors by Yale that knotted the score at 23-23. The Tigers' comeback attempt would come up just short as Yale would hold on for the 25-23 win.
While the Bulldogs opened the second set by taking a 3-2 lead, kills by Harris and Skov along with a service ace by Klepetka gave the Tigers a 5-3 advantage that they would not relinquish. Yale battled back to make it 13-12 but a 4-0 run that featured a kill by Skov along with a service ace by Lenihan and a pair of Bulldog attacking errors saw Princeton take a 17-12 lead. Montgomery would close the set out after receiving an assist from Harris as the Tigers took set two, 25-21.
The Bulldogs used a 6-0 run early in the third set to take a 7-4 lead and managed to stay in control for much of the early stages. With Yale up 14-13 Princeton would surge ahead 20-14 thanks to a 7-0 run sparked by an O'Connell kill that also featured three-straight kills by Montgomery, a service ace by freshman Lindsey Kelly and a pair of Bulldog attacking errors. Yale battled back to earn a set point at 24-23, but a block by Skov, a Yale attacking error and a double block by Schewe and O'Connell saw the Tigers prevail 26-24.
The fourth set began as a back-and-forth battle but with the score knotted 3-3 a Lenihan kill along with a pair of Bulldog attacking errors saw Princeton take a 6-3 lead. The Bulldogs remained in the contest but with the score at 12-8 kills by Montgomery and Skov along with another Yale attacking error gave Princeton a 15-8 lead from which it would never look back on. After O'Connell's kill gave the Tigers match point at 24-15, Harris set Lenihan who delivered the kill and match point as the Tigers would triumph 25-15 and clinch their spot at the NCAA Championships.
Up Next
The Tigers will find out their NCAA Tournament location and opponent during the selection show which takes place on Sunday, December 1 at 8:30 p.m.
Princeton last went to the NCAA Championships in 2017, also after hosting and defeating the Bulldogs in an Ivy League playoff match.
Junior Elena Montgomery led Princeton with a match-high 19 kills with a .315 hitting percentage. Senior Jessie Harris reached the 1000-assist mark on the season as she had a double-double with a match-high 57 assists and 10 digs while Senior Natasha Skov added 16 kills and eight digs. Junior Clare Lenihan contributed 13 kills, four blocks and three digs while freshman Olivia Schewe added eight kills on an incredible .727 hitting percentage. Sophomore Cameron Dames led the team in digs with 23 while Grace Klepetka finished with a match and career-high three service aces.
Yale got off to a promising start as it took a 23-16 lead in the first set. Led off by a kill by senior Maggie O'Connell, Princeton went on a 7-0 run that also featured three Lenihan kills, a Montgomery kill and a pair of errors by Yale that knotted the score at 23-23. The Tigers' comeback attempt would come up just short as Yale would hold on for the 25-23 win.
While the Bulldogs opened the second set by taking a 3-2 lead, kills by Harris and Skov along with a service ace by Klepetka gave the Tigers a 5-3 advantage that they would not relinquish. Yale battled back to make it 13-12 but a 4-0 run that featured a kill by Skov along with a service ace by Lenihan and a pair of Bulldog attacking errors saw Princeton take a 17-12 lead. Montgomery would close the set out after receiving an assist from Harris as the Tigers took set two, 25-21.
The Bulldogs used a 6-0 run early in the third set to take a 7-4 lead and managed to stay in control for much of the early stages. With Yale up 14-13 Princeton would surge ahead 20-14 thanks to a 7-0 run sparked by an O'Connell kill that also featured three-straight kills by Montgomery, a service ace by freshman Lindsey Kelly and a pair of Bulldog attacking errors. Yale battled back to earn a set point at 24-23, but a block by Skov, a Yale attacking error and a double block by Schewe and O'Connell saw the Tigers prevail 26-24.
Montgomery making plays left and right - Tigers take the 20-14 lead in the 3rd set. Timeout Yale. pic.twitter.com/4S5Dn2XUqy
— PrincetonVolley (@PrincetonVolley) November 23, 2019
The fourth set began as a back-and-forth battle but with the score knotted 3-3 a Lenihan kill along with a pair of Bulldog attacking errors saw Princeton take a 6-3 lead. The Bulldogs remained in the contest but with the score at 12-8 kills by Montgomery and Skov along with another Yale attacking error gave Princeton a 15-8 lead from which it would never look back on. After O'Connell's kill gave the Tigers match point at 24-15, Harris set Lenihan who delivered the kill and match point as the Tigers would triumph 25-15 and clinch their spot at the NCAA Championships.
Up Next
The Tigers will find out their NCAA Tournament location and opponent during the selection show which takes place on Sunday, December 1 at 8:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
YALE
PRIN
Kills
55
67
Errors
22
15
Attempts
151
164
Hitting %
.219
.317
Points
65.0
83.0
Assists
50
63
Aces
6
6
Blocks
4.0
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Tuesday, June 04
Tuesday, September 12
Monday, December 05
Wednesday, June 22