Easy As 1-2-3! Ratter Aces Season Mid-Term, Keeps Tigers Up In EIVAs In Wild Finish

Friday, March 8

Newark, N.J.

6:00 PM

Princeton University

10-8, 8-1EIVA

NJIT

4-11, 0-7EIVA

Princeton

NJIT

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Easy As 1-2-3! Ratter Aces Season Mid-Term, Keeps Tigers Up In EIVAs In Wild Finish

March 08, 2019 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

If you thought Tuesday was dramatic, you had to love Friday's sequel.

For the second straight match, Princeton saw a 2-0 lead dissolve against a gritty NJIT squad, which rallied to earn two match points at home Friday night. The Tigers turned to senior Kendall Ratter to get them back in the match, but he had far grander plans than that. Ratter went on a personal 4-0 run — highlighted by three consecutive aces — to send Princeton to another dramatic 3-2 win over NJIT in its final EIVA match for the next three weeks.

Ratter wasn't alone in the effort, of course. Junior Greg Luck had 13 kills and four blocks while hitting .417, while classmate George Huhmann added 13 kills and five blocks. Two-time EIVA Offensive Player of the Week Parker Dixon had 12 kills and four blocks, while sophomore setter Joe Kelly paced the offense with 42 assists.

So Ratter wasn't alone … but he might as well have been in the final moments.

When Kelly set his senior outside for the final time, NJIT held two match points while looking for its first EIVA win. As it turned out, the Highlanders never even got a swing at it. Ratter put that ball down for his eighth kill of the night, and then went to the place he is as dangerous as maybe anybody in the EIVA, the service line. He took care of NJIT's second match ball on his first serve, then gave Princeton one on his second. On his final serve, he moved Princeton to 8-1 in the EIVA and assured them the top spot in league play for the next three weeks with his final service ace of the match.

While the Tigers won't be in league play for a while, they'll have the chance to make national headlines Saturday night when they face #7 Lewis at 7 pm in Dillon Gym. That match will be streamed live on ESPN+.