
Men's Volleyball Set For Home Opener Against No. 12 UCSB
January 30, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
No. 16 Princeton (4-3, 0-0 EIVA) vs. No. 12 University of California Santa Barbara (3-5)
January 31 (Wed.) | 7:00 PM ET | Dillon Gym
Live Stats | Watch | Game Program
PRINCETON, NJ - The Princeton men's volleyball team will host No. 12 UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday night at Dillon Gym. The match is set to begin at 7:00 PM ET and will be stream on ESPN+.
See the Tiger's full 2024 schedule here.
Game Notes
- The No. 16 Tigers maintain a 4-3 record this season, securing victories in both matches against Queens University of Charlotte, UC San Diego, and CSUN.
- 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 1.429 aces per set and 21 total aces this season. The senior has 117 points this season leads the Tigers with his 4.68 points per set ranking him tenth in the nation.
- Ben Harrington leads the team in kills, achieving a total of 83, with 3.32 kills per set. Nyherowo Omene follows in second for kills with a total of 82.
- In defensive blocks this season, Ryan Vena is at the forefront with a total of 20. Ben Harrington follows closely for the Tigers in blocks with a season total of 16.
- Henry Wedbush leads the Tigers in assists thus far with 156. He ranks 19th in the nation with 9.18 assists per set. Wedbush also commands a lead in digs this season, amassing a total of 31 and averaging 1.82 digs per set. Matt Suh trails behind, recording 26 digs in the first seven 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).
- 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.
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 host Pepperdine at Dillon Gym on Feb. 2 (Fri.) at 4:00 PM.
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