Men’s Volleyball Wins Fourth-Straight, Upends FDU 3-1

Saturday, April 2

Teaneck, N.J.

4:00 PM

Princeton University

9-12,7-6EIVA

Fairleigh Dickinson

6-12,0-1DI Independent

Princeton

Fairleigh Dickinson

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Men’s Volleyball Wins Fourth-Straight, Upends FDU 3-1

April 02, 2022 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

TEANECK, N.J. – The Princeton University men's volleyball team improved its winning streak to four matches Saturday afternoon inside the Rothman Center, upending Fairleigh Dickinson University 3-1 (25-21, 25-27, 25-21, 28-26).

Sophomore Gavin Leising led Princeton with nine kills on a .579 hitting percentage, and also added a match-high eight blocks. Senior Joe Kelly finished with a team-high 38 assists and 11 digs, while senior Niko Gjaja tied his career-highs in kills with nine, and had a career-high five blocks.

The opening set began as a back-and-forth battle, with a double block by senior Jerod Nelsen and Leising knotting the score at 5-5. The Knights were able to take a slight advantage at 15-13, but Princeton chipped away at the lead; a kill by Gjaja sparked a 3-0 run, that saw the Tigers jump ahead 20-18. The Tigers held on from there, winning the set, 25-21

While the Knights raced out to a 12-8 advantage in the second set, a Nelsen kill led off a 4-0 run that saw Princeton make it 12-11, narrowing the deficit to one. While The Tigers were able to make it close, it was FDU who would take the second set with a score of 27-25.

A 3-0 run early in the third set saw the Tigers take an 8-6 lead, following a triple block junior Alexander Mrkalj, Leising, and Kelly. Princeton used another 3-0 run to expand its lead to six, 19-13, on the heels of a double block by Gjaja and Leising. The Tigers withstood a late 3-0 run from the Knights to prevail, 25-21.

The Knights gained the upper hand early in the fourth set, using a pair of 3-0 runs to take an 11-6 lead. Back-to-back kills by first year Henry Wedbush and Mrkalj cut the deficit to two at 20-18, then a triple-block by first year Nyherowo Omene, Mrkalj, and Kelly knotted the score at 23-23. A kill by Wedbush gave the Tigers match point at 27-26, then Tigers would prevai in the fourth set, 28-26, after a Knight attacking error.

Up Next
The Tigers host George Mason University (11-11, 6-6) on Saturday, April 9, at 5 p.m.