Women's Volleyball Earns Second-Straight Victory Over Rutgers, 3-2

Friday, September 15

New Brunswick, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

3-5,0-0Ivy League

Rutgers

8-2,0-0Big Ten

Princeton

Rutgers

Women's Volleyball Earns Second-Straight Victory Over Rutgers, 3-2

September 15, 2023 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The Princeton University women's volleyball team wrapped up non-conference play Friday night inside College Avenue Gymnasium, defeating Big Ten opponent Rutgers for the second-straight season, 3-2 (25-23, 12-25, 16-25, 25-19, 15-12).

Sophomore Lucia Scalamandre led the Tigers in kills with 12 and hit .450, and freshman Sydney Draper's 44 assists were a team-high. Princeton was led in digs by freshman Sydney Bold who tallied a match-high 22, and senior Kathleen Bishop tied the team-high in blocks with Scalamandre as each had three. Bishop also added nine kills for the Tigers, which ranked second on the team.

The first set began as a back-and-forth battle, with a kill by junior Shelby Fulton putting Princeton in front 12-11. A Scarlet Knight service error followed by a kill by Scalamandre and a Rutgers attacking gave the Tigers a 16-13 advantage. Rutgers battled back to make it 16-15, but a 4-0 Princeton run put Princeton in front, 20-15. Junior Mariah Haislip slid right then put down the emphatic kill to give the Tigers a 23-20 lead, before a kill by Scalamandre on set point gave Princeton the 25-23 first set victory.

Rutgers raced out to a 7-1 lead in the second set, but a 5-0 Princeton saw the Tigers narrow the deficit to one, 7-6, after a freshman Kamryn Chaney kill. The Scarlet Knights remained in control for the remainder of the set, going on to win 25-12 and level the match, 1-1.

The Scarlet Knight's momentum carried over from the second set to the third, as they jumped out to a 14-4 lead. A double block by Bishop and Haislip sparked a 3-0 run, then shortly after a kill by Bishop ignited another 3-0 run and the Tigers were able to trim it to five at 15-10. Princeton kept chipping away, with a Scalamandre kill followed by a Satchell kill making it an 18-14 contest. From there, Rutgers pulled away to prevail in the set 25-16.

While the Scarlet Knights took a 7-3 lead early in the fourth, a kill by Bishop led a 3-0 run that saw the Tigers narrow the deficit to one, 7-6. The Tigers kept it close and showed resilience; down 18-16, a kill by freshman Erin McNair ignited a 5-0 run that put the Tigers ahead, 21-18. Soon after, a Bishop kill sparked a 4-0 run and Princeton would go on to triumph, 25-19, sending the match to five.

Kills by Draper and McNair saw the Tigers take a 3-2 lead in the fifth set, before a Bishop kill led a 4-0 run that gave Princeton a 10-6 advantage. A kill by senior Maya Satchell gave the Tigers match point at 14-11 then it was Bishop who delivered the kill to seal the win for Princeton, 15-12 in the fifth set and 3-2 in the match.

Up Next
Princeton opens Ivy League play against the University of Pennsylvania (1-7) on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. inside the Palestra.