Thursday, April 18
Princeton, N.J.
8:00 PM
Princeton University
vs
Saint Francis
Photo by: @fabianabeatrizphoto
Princeton Ready To Host EIVA Championships
April 17, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
EIVA Tournament Page
EIVA Semifinals – Apr. 18
No. 3 Penn State (14-14, 10-4 EIVA) vs. No. 2 George Mason (17-8, 10-4 EIVA), 5 p.m.
No. 4 Saint Francis (15-13, 9-5 EIVA) vs. No. 1 Princeton (15-12, 13-1 EIVA), 8 p.m.
EIVA Championship – Apr. 20
Winner of Game 1 vs. the Winner of Game 2 – 7 p.m.
Weekend Links: Live Stats | Video | Tickets
EIVA Hall of Fame Banquet – Apr. 19
Tarik Rodgers, Ron Larson, Douglas Emich
Friend Center Convocation Room at the School of Engineering and Applied Science
All-EIVA – Five named All-EIVA; Huhmann and Shweisky Earn Conference Accolades
What will take place in Dillon Gym April 18-20 isn't weeks in the making, or even months. Hosting the EIVA Championships is a process that has taken years to make happen, and Princeton is proud to bring the Eastern playoffs to the Garden State for the first time since 1998.
If even mentioning the 1998 EIVA playoffs gives you a celebratory feeling, there is certainly a good reason. That magical week at Rutgers-Newark saw Princeton knock off reigning champion Penn State, and then the host Scarlet Raiders, to win its only Eastern crown and claim its first ticket to the NCAA Championships.
So while bringing the EIVA playoffs to Princeton was a significant goal, it also isn't THE goal. The moment the Tigers want to match most from 21 years earlier is the one that came at the end — the one with the trophy and the NCAA tournament berth.
To earn that opportunity, Princeton will need a win Thursday night at 8 pm in the second semifinal of the 2019 EIVA Championships. The postseason will begin at 5 pm with a showdown between #2 George Mason and #3 Penn State, a series that the Patriots swept this season. The winner of that match will take on either Princeton or #4 Saint Francis in Saturday's 7 pm final.
You can purchase tickets in advance of the playoffs ($7 adult/$3 youth) on GoPrincetonTigers.com, or you can buy them at the door ($10 adult/$5 youth). Students can get in free with a valid student ID. The tournament will be streamed live all weekend on FloVolleyball, and links to both the video stream and live stats are available on the schedule page.
Saint Francis is the only EIVA team to win a match over Princeton this season, though the Tigers avenged that result last weekend with an impressive 3-1 victory over the Red Flash. On his way to both Player of the Week and Princeton's first ever EIVA Player of the Year award, Huhmann overpowered Saint Francis with 16 kills, seven blocks and a .600 winning percentage.
Huhmann, who earned All-America honors last season and is in position to be the most decorated men's volleyball player in school history, is the only player in the EIVA to rank in the top four in both kills/set and hitting percentage, and he does so in both overall and conference play. His play over the last two weeks may stand alone as the best two-week stretch in program history, but he's been consistently terrific against the best in the league; Huhmann is hitting .411 and averaging more than 4.4 points per set against the EIVA playoff field.
Of course, it hasn't just been Huhmann who helped bring the postseason back to New Jersey. Fellow first-team All-EIVA honoree Parker Dixon — another two-time EIVA Player of the Week — has been among the league's most explosive hitters throughout the season, while both Kendall Ratter and Greg Luck are averaging more than two kills per set against the EIVA playoff field.
Ratter and Luck joined sophomore Joe Kelly on the All-EIVA Second Team, giving Princeton a program-best five on that squad. Kelly ranked second in the league in assists this season, and he paced an offense that hit .318 this season against the rest of the playoff field. In the final four matches of the regular season, the Tigers are hitting .380 as a team, and Kelly is just under 10 assists per set.
Two-time EIVA Head Coach of the Year Sam Shweisky will try to lead Princeton to its fourth Eastern championship game during his tenure (2010, 2014, 2018) this weekend, and he will try to give the league a fourth different champion over a four-year stretch for the first time since 1974-77.
It's been a long time since the EIVA has seen this type of parity, just like it's been a long road to bring the playoffs to Princeton. But that road has ended at Dillon Gym, and Princeton is looking for the perfect finish to an already historic season.
EIVA Semifinals – Apr. 18
No. 3 Penn State (14-14, 10-4 EIVA) vs. No. 2 George Mason (17-8, 10-4 EIVA), 5 p.m.
No. 4 Saint Francis (15-13, 9-5 EIVA) vs. No. 1 Princeton (15-12, 13-1 EIVA), 8 p.m.
EIVA Championship – Apr. 20
Winner of Game 1 vs. the Winner of Game 2 – 7 p.m.
Weekend Links: Live Stats | Video | Tickets
EIVA Hall of Fame Banquet – Apr. 19
Tarik Rodgers, Ron Larson, Douglas Emich
Friend Center Convocation Room at the School of Engineering and Applied Science
All-EIVA – Five named All-EIVA; Huhmann and Shweisky Earn Conference Accolades
What will take place in Dillon Gym April 18-20 isn't weeks in the making, or even months. Hosting the EIVA Championships is a process that has taken years to make happen, and Princeton is proud to bring the Eastern playoffs to the Garden State for the first time since 1998.
If even mentioning the 1998 EIVA playoffs gives you a celebratory feeling, there is certainly a good reason. That magical week at Rutgers-Newark saw Princeton knock off reigning champion Penn State, and then the host Scarlet Raiders, to win its only Eastern crown and claim its first ticket to the NCAA Championships.
So while bringing the EIVA playoffs to Princeton was a significant goal, it also isn't THE goal. The moment the Tigers want to match most from 21 years earlier is the one that came at the end — the one with the trophy and the NCAA tournament berth.
To earn that opportunity, Princeton will need a win Thursday night at 8 pm in the second semifinal of the 2019 EIVA Championships. The postseason will begin at 5 pm with a showdown between #2 George Mason and #3 Penn State, a series that the Patriots swept this season. The winner of that match will take on either Princeton or #4 Saint Francis in Saturday's 7 pm final.
You can purchase tickets in advance of the playoffs ($7 adult/$3 youth) on GoPrincetonTigers.com, or you can buy them at the door ($10 adult/$5 youth). Students can get in free with a valid student ID. The tournament will be streamed live all weekend on FloVolleyball, and links to both the video stream and live stats are available on the schedule page.
Saint Francis is the only EIVA team to win a match over Princeton this season, though the Tigers avenged that result last weekend with an impressive 3-1 victory over the Red Flash. On his way to both Player of the Week and Princeton's first ever EIVA Player of the Year award, Huhmann overpowered Saint Francis with 16 kills, seven blocks and a .600 winning percentage.
Huhmann, who earned All-America honors last season and is in position to be the most decorated men's volleyball player in school history, is the only player in the EIVA to rank in the top four in both kills/set and hitting percentage, and he does so in both overall and conference play. His play over the last two weeks may stand alone as the best two-week stretch in program history, but he's been consistently terrific against the best in the league; Huhmann is hitting .411 and averaging more than 4.4 points per set against the EIVA playoff field.
Of course, it hasn't just been Huhmann who helped bring the postseason back to New Jersey. Fellow first-team All-EIVA honoree Parker Dixon — another two-time EIVA Player of the Week — has been among the league's most explosive hitters throughout the season, while both Kendall Ratter and Greg Luck are averaging more than two kills per set against the EIVA playoff field.
Ratter and Luck joined sophomore Joe Kelly on the All-EIVA Second Team, giving Princeton a program-best five on that squad. Kelly ranked second in the league in assists this season, and he paced an offense that hit .318 this season against the rest of the playoff field. In the final four matches of the regular season, the Tigers are hitting .380 as a team, and Kelly is just under 10 assists per set.
Two-time EIVA Head Coach of the Year Sam Shweisky will try to lead Princeton to its fourth Eastern championship game during his tenure (2010, 2014, 2018) this weekend, and he will try to give the league a fourth different champion over a four-year stretch for the first time since 1974-77.
It's been a long time since the EIVA has seen this type of parity, just like it's been a long road to bring the playoffs to Princeton. But that road has ended at Dillon Gym, and Princeton is looking for the perfect finish to an already historic season.
Players Mentioned
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