Princeton University Athletics
Sunday, December 29
Irvine, Calif.
8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT
Princeton University
0-1,0-0EIVA
0
at
3
#8 UC Irvine
1-0,0-0Big West
1st set1
2nd set2
3rd set3
FinalF
Princeton
23
15
20
0
UC Irvine
25
25
25
3
Photo by: @fabianabeatrizphoto
No. 10 Men’s Volleyball Falls in Season Opener to No. 8 UC-Irvine
December 29, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
IRVINE, Calif. – The No. 10 Princeton University men's volleyball team opened its season with a top-10 battle Sunday night, falling 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-20) to the No. 8 University of California-Irvine inside the Bren Events Center.
Senior Parker Dixon led Princeton with 10 digs and also added seven digs while senior George Huhmann had six kills and three block assists. Junior Joe Kelly handed out a team-high 24 assists and had a team-high eight digs.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle; the Anteaters raced out to a 10-7 lead but Princeton would eventually knot the score 11-11 after freshman Alexander Mrkalj led off a 3-0 run that also included a double block by sophomore Jerod Nelsen and senior Greg Luck along with a UC-Irvine attacking error. The Tigers would take the lead at 16-15 after a kill by Luck then an Anteater attacking error and another lead at 18-17 following a triple block by Dixon, Huhmann and Luck. Princeton could not hold onto its lead and the Anteaters would pull away for a close 25-23 victory.
The early stages of the second set were close, but with the Anteaters up 6-3 they would use a 6-0 run to take an 11-3 advantage from which it would never look back. With UC-Irvine up 22-11 a Huhmann kill sparked a 3-0 run that also featured a double block by Mrkalj and Huhmann along with a Mrkalj kill, but UC-Irvine held on for the 25-15 triumph.
Princeton led early in the third set as a double block by Nelsen and Luck capped a 3-0 run that gave the Tigers an 8-7 advantage, but the Anteaters would then use a 4-0 run to jump ahead 11-8. The Tigers would later us a 5-0 run capped off with a Nelsen kill to make it a 17-16 contest, but could not manage to take the lead again and UC-Irvine would pull away for the 25-20 victory.
Up Next
The Tigers will face No. 9 Pepperdine University in an exhibition on Tuesday, December 31 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT in Malibu, California.
Senior Parker Dixon led Princeton with 10 digs and also added seven digs while senior George Huhmann had six kills and three block assists. Junior Joe Kelly handed out a team-high 24 assists and had a team-high eight digs.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle; the Anteaters raced out to a 10-7 lead but Princeton would eventually knot the score 11-11 after freshman Alexander Mrkalj led off a 3-0 run that also included a double block by sophomore Jerod Nelsen and senior Greg Luck along with a UC-Irvine attacking error. The Tigers would take the lead at 16-15 after a kill by Luck then an Anteater attacking error and another lead at 18-17 following a triple block by Dixon, Huhmann and Luck. Princeton could not hold onto its lead and the Anteaters would pull away for a close 25-23 victory.
The early stages of the second set were close, but with the Anteaters up 6-3 they would use a 6-0 run to take an 11-3 advantage from which it would never look back. With UC-Irvine up 22-11 a Huhmann kill sparked a 3-0 run that also featured a double block by Mrkalj and Huhmann along with a Mrkalj kill, but UC-Irvine held on for the 25-15 triumph.
Princeton led early in the third set as a double block by Nelsen and Luck capped a 3-0 run that gave the Tigers an 8-7 advantage, but the Anteaters would then use a 4-0 run to jump ahead 11-8. The Tigers would later us a 5-0 run capped off with a Nelsen kill to make it a 17-16 contest, but could not manage to take the lead again and UC-Irvine would pull away for the 25-20 victory.
Up Next
The Tigers will face No. 9 Pepperdine University in an exhibition on Tuesday, December 31 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT in Malibu, California.
Team Stats
PRIN
Irvine
Kills
29
34
Errors
16
10
Attempts
80
76
Hitting %
.163
.316
Points
40.5
51.0
Assists
29
32
Aces
4
7
Blocks
7.5
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
3
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
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