No. 14 Men’s Volleyball Opens NCAA Tournament Against North Greenville

Opening Round: No. 14 Princeton (15-12) vs. (RV) North Greenville (20-5)
Date: Sunday, May 1
Location: Los Angeles, California
Arena: Pauley Pavilion
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Watch: UCLA Livestream, Channel 2
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PRINCETON, N.J. – The 2022 NCAA Tournament begins for the No. 14 Princeton University men's volleyball team Sunday evening against North Greenville University in the opening round.

The Tigers return to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. The Tigers played in the tournament in 2019, as the 2020 tournament was canceled, and Ivy League institutions did not participate in athletics in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Should the Tigers defeat NGU, they will take on the defending national champion No. 1 University of Hawaii on Tuesday, May 3, at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

EIVA Champions
Princeton is coming off its second-straight run to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) title. Entering the tournament as the No. 4 seed, the Tigers first took down No. 5 seed Saint Francis University, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) in the First Round, before outlasting second-ranked and top-seeded Penn State in a five-set thriller in the semifinals, 3-2 (25-16, 28-26, 23-25, 17-25, 15-12).

Sophomore Ben Harrington was honored as the EIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and named to the All-Tournament Team. He hit .461, leading the Tigers in kills per set (4.67), service aces (5), and tied for the team-high in digs (1.58). Senior Joe Kelly was also named to the All-Tournament Team, leading Princeton in assists (8.17), while recording 11 digs and seven blocks. Sophomore James Hartley rounded out the Tigers' All-Tournament Team honorees, averaging 3.0 kills, and 1.58 digs.

A Historical Streak
The Tigers' 10-straight wins currently stands as the second-longest winning streak in school history. The record, 21-straight wins, took place in 1997. It is also currently tied for the longest winning streak in the nation with Lincoln Memorial University. A win over the Crusaders would give the Tigers the nation's longest winning streak of 11 matches.

Accolades Roll in for Ben Harrington
Along with being named EIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Harrington was also honored as the EIVA Newcomer of the Year, and as the American Volleyball Coaches Volleyball Association (AVCA) Men's Division I-II Men's Player of the Week on Tuesday, April 26. He leads the Tigers in kills (316), kills per set (3.36), service aces (54), and service aces per set (0.57), a category where he ranks third in the nation. He's had 20 matches with double digit kills, including eight with over 15, along with eight matches with at least three service aces. He was dominant in the EIVA Tournament Championship Match against NJIT, hitting .476 and leading the match with a career-high 24 kills, and also recording seven digs and two service aces.

All-Conference Honors
Junior Nate Thompson was named Honorable Mention All-EIVA. He ranks second on the team in kills per set (2.63), while hitting .323, third in service aces (19). He recorded a career-high 17 kills in Princeton's win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Mar. 13, and recorded double digit kills on eight occasions. Thompson also finished with a career-best eight digs against UC San Diego on Jan. 29.

National Top-10
The Tigers rank inside the national top-10 in a pair of statistical categories; they rank seventh in service aces per set (1.65), and ninth in blocks per set (2.34).

Princeton at the NCAA Tournament
Princeton most recently played in the NCAA Tournament in 2019, first taking down Barton College, 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20) on Thursday, April 25, in Wilson, North Carolina. Kelly played in a pivotal role in the win, leading the match in assists with 44 and digs with six. Senior Parker Dixon added eight kills, three digs, and two blocks, while senior Jerod Nelsen also saw action.

The Tigers then fell just short in a five-set heartbreaker against No. 3 Pepperdine University, 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-8) in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday, April 30. Kelly again led Princeton in assists with 44, and added seven digs, while Dixon finished with 11 digs and seven kills. Nelsen also saw action, appearing in four sets.

Along with 2019, the Tigers also played in the 1998 NCAA Tournament in Hawaii, falling to Pepperdine in the semifinals.

Last Time They Met
The Tigers and Crusaders last met on January 12, 2017, in Dillon Gymnasium in a contest that saw the Tigers earn a 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-19) sweep. Dixon, the only Tiger still on the roster, hit .571 and finished with a match-high 13 kills. He also added four blocks, and four digs.

Kelly-Wedbush Tag Team
Senior Joe Kelly and First Year Henry Wedbush have split time at setter for the Tigers. Kelly, a two-time Second Team All-EIVA honoree, has appeared in 23 matches and made 15 starts. He leads the Tigers with 587 assists, and 8.04 assists per sets, while Wedbush has appeared in 26 matches, made 12 starts, handed out 375 assists, and averaged 5.60 assists per set.

Defensive Forces
Sophomore Gavin Leising and First Year Nyherowo Omene's efforts defensively have been pivotal to the Tigers' 10-match winning streak. In the 10 wins Leising has totaled 37 blocks and averaged 1.19 blocks per set, while Omene has recorded 27 blocks and averaged 1.0 blocks per set. Junior Brady Wedbush has also made an impact defensively when called upon, appearing in 16 sets he totaled 21 blocks for a 1.31 blocks per set average in Princeton's last 10 matches.

Scouting North Greenville
The Crusaders, winners of seven-straight matches, have a 20-5 overall record along with a 12-2 record in Conference Carolinas play. Most recently, they defeated the University of Mount Olive, 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 15-7), in the Conference Carolinas Championship Match in Mount Olive, North Carolina, on Saturday, April 23.

Gregory Torres leads the team in kills per set (3.38), Sergio Carrillo in assists (9.95), Michael de la Cruz in service aces (0.49) and blocks (0.93), and Christian Phung in digs (2.16).

California Connection
Nine Tigers call the state of California home; Joe Kelly, Attila Delingat, Nico Posivak, Charlie Rogers, Brady Wedbush, Henry Wedbush, Jerod Nelsen, Gavin Leising, and Matt Suh.

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