No. 14 Men’s Volleyball Falls to NGU in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament

Sunday, May 1

Los Angeles, Calif.

8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT

Princeton University

15-13,10-6EIVA

North Greenville

21-5,12-2Conference Carolinas

North Greenville

Princeton

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

No. 14 Men’s Volleyball Falls to NGU in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament

May 01, 2022 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

LOS ANGELES – The No. 14 Princeton University men's volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 40-38) to North Greenville University Sunday night, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament inside Pauley Pavilion.

Making their third NCAA Tournament appearance, and second under Head Coach Sam Shweisky, the Tigers' 10-match winning streak stands as the second-longest in school history.

Sophomore James Hartley tied the match-high in kills with 19, and led the match in digs with nine. First Year Henry Wedbush led the team in assists with 28, while First Year Nyherowo Omene tied the match-high in service aces with three. Sophomore Gavin Leising led the Tigers in blocks, with four.

The first began as a back-and-forth battle; with the score tied at 11-11, a kill by Hartley sparked a 3-0 run, giving Princeton a 13-11 advantage. Hartley's sixth kill of the match kept the Tigers in front by three, 16-13, but a 6-0 run by the Crusaders put NGU ahead, 21-17. From there, the Crusaders stayed in front and won the set 25-12.

NGU raced out to a 12-10 lead in the second set, but a kill by Hartley sparked a 4-0 Princeton run that gave the Tigers a 14-13 advantage. NGU battled back, using a 7-2 run to jump ahead, 20-16; the Crusaders rode that momentum to come out on top, 25-18.

Princeton showed its resilience in the third set, using an early 5-0 run that featured three service aces by Omene to take a 9-4 lead. Shortly after, the Tigers went on a 6-1 run, gaining a 16-9 advantage following a service ace by sophomore Ben Harrington, the Tigers' sixth of the set. NGU would narrow the deficit to two, 18-16, after a 5-0 run, the tie it up at 19-19. North Greenville then took the lead at 21-20, and the set descended into rollercoaster. The Tigers survived eight match points, and took five set points, but were edged in the final set, 40-38.