Men's Volleyball Downs No. 1 Seed & Second-Ranked Penn State in EIVA Tournament Semifinal

Thursday, April 21

University Park, Penn.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

No. 1 Penn State

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Men's Volleyball Downs No. 1 Seed & Second-Ranked Penn State in EIVA Tournament Semifinal

April 21, 2022 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Penn. – The No. 4 seed Princeton University men's volleyball team advanced to Championship Saturday at the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Tournament Thursday night inside Rec Hall, taking down No. 1 seed and second-ranked Pennsylvania State University, 3-2 (25-15, 28-26, 23-25, 17-25, 15-12).

Along with handing the Nittany Lions their first loss in 19 matches and extending their own win streak to nine matches, No. 2 Penn State was the highest-ranked opponent the Tigers have beaten, and it marked the first time Princeton has beaten the Nittany Lions on the road in the EIVA Tournament.

Head Coach Sam Shweisky will advance to his fifth EIVA Tournament Final, after guiding the Tigers there in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2019.

Moving On! ??

The Tigers outlasted the host No. 1 seed and second-ranked Nittany Lions, 3-2, to advance to the @EIVAVolleyball Tournament Final! pic.twitter.com/gwS6YSvXM7
— PrincetonVolley (@PrincetonVolley) April 22, 2022

The Tigers were led by EIVA Newcomer of the Year Ben Harrington, who hit .415 and led the match with a career-high 21 kills, while also adding a team-high eight digs and two service aces. Sophomore James Hartley also had double-digit kills for Princeton, with 12, and tied Harrington for the team-high in digs with eight. Senior Joe Kelly tied the match-high in assists with 50, and sophomore Gavin Leising led the match in blocks with seven.

The Tigers got off to a strong start, with a pair of Harrington service aces helping Princeton gain a 10-7 advantage. A kill by senior Parker Dixon sparked a 3-0 run that put the Tigers ahead, 16-11, following a solo block by Leising. Princeton continued to build its lead, as another kill by Hartley saw the Tigers surge ahead, 20-13. From there, Princeton would close the set out with back-to-back service aces by junior Brady Wedbush, prevailing 25-16.

Princeton started off hot in the second set, as a set kill by Leising sparked a 6-0 run that gave the Tigers an 8-4 lead, following a double block by Leising and Kelly. A Hartley kill gave Princeton a 13-9 lead, but a pair of 3-0 runs by the Nittany Lions saw Penn State jump ahead, 19-17. The Tigers battled back, with a kill from the back row by Dixon knotting the score at 23-23. A kill by Harrington gave Princeton set point at 27-26, then Dixon's fifth kill saw Princeton prevail in the second set, 28-26.

S2 | Princeton 5, Penn State 4

A Gavin Leising kill gives the Tigers an early lead in the second! pic.twitter.com/T8dnJQShGH
— PrincetonVolley (@PrincetonVolley) April 21, 2022

A Hartley kill sparked an early 3-0 Princeton run, giving the Tigers the early edge at 3-2. Harrington's eighth kill put Princeton ahead 9-7, then an attack error followed by a Hartley kill gave the Tigers a 13-9 advantage. While Penn State responded with a pair of 3-0 runs to jump ahead, 16-15, a triple block by Kelly, Dixon and Leising led off a 3-0 Princeton run, making it an 18-16 set. The Tigers and Nittany Lions continued trading points, until a 3-0 Penn State run saw the hosts take a 22-21 lead. From there, Penn State held on to win the set 25-23.

The Tigers took an early advantage in the fourth set, with a Dixon kill putting Princeton ahead 5-3. The Nittany Lions would shortly use a 5-0 run to gain a 14-9 advantage, and maintained control of the set from that point on. Penn State would come out on top, 25-16, to even the match up at 2-2.

Princeton won the first point of the set thanks to a Hartley kill, but Penn State responded with a 3-0 run. A kill by First Year Nyherowo Omene cut the deficit to one, 5-4, and back-to-back Harrington kept the margin at one, 9-8. The Tigers then went on a 4-0 run that featured back-to-back Nittany Lion attacking errors, along with a pair of Harrington kills, to surge ahead 12-10. The Tigers earned match point at 14-12 following a Penn State attacking error, then Harrington put down his career-best 21^st kill to seal the set for the Tigers, 15-12, and the match 3-0.

BRING ON CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY!

Ben Harrington puts down his career-best 21st kill on match point as the Tigers down No. 1 seed Penn State, 15-12, in the decisive fifth set! pic.twitter.com/uEEQhgHnqb
— PrincetonVolley (@PrincetonVolley) April 22, 2022

Up Next
The Tigers will take on the New Jersey Institute of Technology (17-10, 10-6) in the EIVA Tournament Championship Match on Saturday, April 23, at 7 p.m. inside Rec Hall.