Men's Volleyball Begins West Coast Trip with Matches Against UC Irvine and UC San Diego

No. 15 Princeton (2-0, 0-0 EIVA) vs. No. 3 UC Irvine (1-1)
January 13 (Sat.) | 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m PT. | Crawford Hall
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No. 15 Princeton (2-0, 0-0 EIVA) vs. No. 17 UC San Diego (2-1)
January 16 (Tues.) | 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m PT. | LionTree Arena
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PRINCETON, NJ - The Princeton men's volleyball team is set to begin its early-season trip to California from January 13th to the 19th. The Tigers will compete against University of California Irvine and University of California San Diego on January 13th and January 16th.

See the Tiger's full 2024 schedule here.

Game Notes

The No. 15 Tigers maintain an unblemished 2-0 record this season, securing victories in both matches against Queens University of Charlotte.
Sam Shweisky, who has coached the Tigers to 2 EIVA Championships and 6 EIVA Finals, enters his 15th season as head coach of the Princeton men's volleyball program. Shweisky is assisted by Ben Hancock along with Joe Norton in his first year.
The Tigers ranked No. 2 in the 2024 EIVA Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the AVCA National Preseason Poll.
Owen Mellon and Nyherowo Omene both were selected to the 2024 EIVA Players to Watch list.
Princeton leads the nation in aces per set with 4.00 and a team total of 28 service aces.
Ben Harrington etched his name into the NCAA record books in the season opener against Queens University of Charlotte by breaking the single-match aces record. Notching 13 service aces in three sets, the senior beat the record of 11, which was accomplished four times in the rally scoring era. Harrington leads the country with 2.000 aces per set and 14 total aces this season. The senior 42.5 points this season leads the Tigers with his 6.07 points per set ranking him second in the nation.
Ben Harrington leads the team in kills, achieving a total of 26, ranking 13th in the country in kills per set with 3.71. Nyherowo Omene follows in second for kills with a total of 17.
In defensive blocks this season, Tristan Whitfield, a first-year player, is at the forefront with a total of nine. Whitfield ranks 2nd in the country in blocks per set with 1.800. Owen Mellon follows closely for the Tigers in blocks with a season total of six.
Henry Wedbush leads the Tigers in assists thus far with 69. He ranks 9th in the nation with 9.86 assists per set. Wedbush also commands a lead in digs this season, amassing a total of 16 and averaging 2.29 digs per set, ranking him 6th in the nation. James Hartley trails behind, recording 10 digs in the first two matches of the year.
The incoming class for the 2024 season was named the VolleyballMag.com No. 9 ranked men's college recruiting class. The class notably consists of Tristan Whitfield, a VolleyballMag.com top 25 underclassmen to watch, three-time Conference Player of the Year and VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 recruit, and Jameson Vaccaro, a VolleyMag top 25 underclassmen to watch, VolleyballMag Fab 50 recruit, volleyball recruiter five-star recruit as well as two-time All-American athlete.
The Tigers return four 2023 All-EIVA team honorees with Ben Harrington, Henry Wedbush, Ryan Vena, and Nyherowo Omene.
Among the key returners for the Tigers are Ben Harrington and Henry Wedbush. Harrington is a two-time All-EIVA First Team player (2022/23) and he ranked third in the nation and led the EIVA in service aces per set (0.68) and total service aces (65). Wedbush is a 2023 All-EIVA Second Team Player and ranked third in the EIVA and first on the team in assists with 895 total and assists per set (9.42/set).

Last Season

The Tigers closed out the 2023 season ranked No. 15 following the teams' appearance in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) championship, where the Tigers finished as runners up in the 2023 tournament. Princeton concluded its previous season with 14 wins, a 6-2 record at home, and three wins over ranked opponents.
In 2023, the Tigers finished with a 14-12 record, 7-3 in EIVA play. Princeton competed in the 2023 EIVA Championships but lost to Penn State in the finals, 3-0.

Shweisky's Remarks

"Facing UC Irvine and UC San Diego on the West Coast this week demands our absolute best," said head coach Sam Shweisky. "We're going to their home courts and we need to build on what we did well against Queens and adjust where we struggled. This whole trip is going to be a mental and physical test for our guys, but I know they are up to the challenge."

Social Media

For the latest news and updates, follow along with the men's volleyball social media.

Twitter: @PrincetonVolley
Instagram: @princetonvolley

Up Next

The Princeton men's volleyball team will compete against California State University, Northridge on January 19th at 9:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. ET.

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