Friday, January 19
Northridge, Calif.
9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT
Princeton University
4-1,0-0EIVA
3
at
2
CSUN
3-3,0-0Big West
1
2
3
4
5
F
Princeton
25
28
19
20
16
3
CSUN
23
26
25
25
14
2
No. 16 Men's Volleyball Outlasts No. 18 CSUN, 3-2
January 20, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The No. 16 Princeton University men's volleyball team outlasted No. 18 Cal State Northridge Friday night inside Premier America Credit Union Arena, 3-2 (25-23, 28-26, 19-25, 25-20, 16-14).
Ben Harrington led the way for Princeton, finishing with a team-high 17 kills on a .364 hitting percentage along with five digs and two blocks. Nyherowo Omene also recorded 16 kills on a .313 hitting percentage for the Tigers. Nolan Kelly handed out a team-high 43 assists and a game-high six digs, a figure he shared with Owen Mellon and Matt Suh. Ryan Vena's four blocks tied the match-high.
The first set began as a back-and-forth battle; with the score tied at 14-14 it was the Matadors who created separation, going up 16-14. With CSUN up 17-15, four-straight Matador errors saw Princeton take a 19-17 lead. The Tigers and Cal State Northridge would play to a stalemate at 22-22 before a pair of Harrington kills gave Princeton set point at 24-22. Omene would put down a kill to five the Tigers a 25-23 first set victory.
While it was CSUN who jumped out to a 7-5 advantage in the second set, a Harrington kill ignited a 4-0 that put Princeton in front, 9-7. The Matadors battled back to take a 10-9 lead before the two teams traded points and tied it up at 20-20. Another kill by Harrington gave Princeton set point at 24-22, but Cal State Northridge showed its resilience and took set point at 26-25. Princeton closed the set out on a 3-0 run that included a Matador attacking error followed by kills by Mellon and Omene as the Tigers earned the win in the second set, 28-26.
CSUN was able to bounce back in the third set, taking a 10-6 lead. A 3-0 Princeton run led by a Harrington kill made it a two-point set at 17-15, but the Matadors remained in control throughout and would make it a 2-1 match, prevailing in the third set, 25-19.
A kill by Gavin Leising followed by a Mellon service ace and a Kelly block gave the Tigers an early 5-4 lead in the fourth set. Another 3-0 run, this time sparked by a kill by Harrington, put Princeton ahead 10-8, but a pair of 3-0 Matador runs saw Cal State Northridge take a 16-15 lead. One more 3-0 run by CSUN put the Matadors in front, 22-17, and Cal State Northridge would send the match to five with a 25-20 triumph in the fourth set.
The fifth set saw the Tigers and Matadors trade points back-and-forth until a 3-0 CSUN run put Cal State Northridge ahead, 9-7. Princeton would battle back, eventually taking a 14-13 lead after an Omene kill followed by a double-block by Omene and Vena. Omene continued his clutch play, giving the Tigers match point at 15-14 with a kill then securing the match for Princeton with a service ace as the Tigers would win the set, 14-14, and outlast CSUN in the match, 3-2.
Up Next
The Tigers take on No. 18 BYU (3-1) on Jan. 22 in Provo, Utah, at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET.
Ben Harrington led the way for Princeton, finishing with a team-high 17 kills on a .364 hitting percentage along with five digs and two blocks. Nyherowo Omene also recorded 16 kills on a .313 hitting percentage for the Tigers. Nolan Kelly handed out a team-high 43 assists and a game-high six digs, a figure he shared with Owen Mellon and Matt Suh. Ryan Vena's four blocks tied the match-high.
The first set began as a back-and-forth battle; with the score tied at 14-14 it was the Matadors who created separation, going up 16-14. With CSUN up 17-15, four-straight Matador errors saw Princeton take a 19-17 lead. The Tigers and Cal State Northridge would play to a stalemate at 22-22 before a pair of Harrington kills gave Princeton set point at 24-22. Omene would put down a kill to five the Tigers a 25-23 first set victory.
While it was CSUN who jumped out to a 7-5 advantage in the second set, a Harrington kill ignited a 4-0 that put Princeton in front, 9-7. The Matadors battled back to take a 10-9 lead before the two teams traded points and tied it up at 20-20. Another kill by Harrington gave Princeton set point at 24-22, but Cal State Northridge showed its resilience and took set point at 26-25. Princeton closed the set out on a 3-0 run that included a Matador attacking error followed by kills by Mellon and Omene as the Tigers earned the win in the second set, 28-26.
CSUN was able to bounce back in the third set, taking a 10-6 lead. A 3-0 Princeton run led by a Harrington kill made it a two-point set at 17-15, but the Matadors remained in control throughout and would make it a 2-1 match, prevailing in the third set, 25-19.
A kill by Gavin Leising followed by a Mellon service ace and a Kelly block gave the Tigers an early 5-4 lead in the fourth set. Another 3-0 run, this time sparked by a kill by Harrington, put Princeton ahead 10-8, but a pair of 3-0 Matador runs saw Cal State Northridge take a 16-15 lead. One more 3-0 run by CSUN put the Matadors in front, 22-17, and Cal State Northridge would send the match to five with a 25-20 triumph in the fourth set.
The fifth set saw the Tigers and Matadors trade points back-and-forth until a 3-0 CSUN run put Cal State Northridge ahead, 9-7. Princeton would battle back, eventually taking a 14-13 lead after an Omene kill followed by a double-block by Omene and Vena. Omene continued his clutch play, giving the Tigers match point at 15-14 with a kill then securing the match for Princeton with a service ace as the Tigers would win the set, 14-14, and outlast CSUN in the match, 3-2.
Up Next
The Tigers take on No. 18 BYU (3-1) on Jan. 22 in Provo, Utah, at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET.
Team Stats
PU
CSUN
Kills
48
64
Errors
17
20
Attempts
95
118
Hitting %
.326
.373
Points
60.5
83.5
Assists
48
60
Aces
6
14
Blocks
6.5
5.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
17
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
PIN
/ Men's Volleyball
SET
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's Volleyball
Princeton Athletics Career Networking Breakfast (Fall 2025)
Wednesday, September 24
Princeton Athletics 2023-24 Highlights
Tuesday, June 04
Highlights from 2022 Gary Walters ’67 PVC Awards Banquet
Wednesday, June 22
Princeton Athletics 2021-22 Highlights
Monday, June 06