Princeton to Begin Play in Dillon with Saint Francis, Queens This Weekend

Princeton vs. Saint Francis
Friday, January 24th | Dillon Gym
Live Stats | ESPN+

Princeton vs. Queens
Sunday, January 26th | Dillon Gym
Live Stats | ESPN+

PRINCETON, N.J. – Returning from its West Coast travels, the no. 18 Princeton men's volleyball team will open Dillon Gym for the first time this season with a match against Saint Francis on Friday at 7 p.m., and a match against Queens University of Charlotte on Sunday at noon.

About the Tigers

Princeton is coming off a series with no. 4 Hawaii last week, where the Tigers fell 3-1 (20-25, 18-25, 25-20, 17-25) and 3-0 (17-25, 17-25, 23-25) in their two games.
Nyherowo Omene had a standout performance on the week, earning 22 kills, three service aces, one block and five block assists, and an .833 service reception percentage.
During January 15's game, Omene reached his 100th career service ace. Omene now leads the EIVA and stands 23rd nationally in active career leaders with 102 total.
Omene has also become a career leader in kills, currently ranking 31st nationally with 742 total.
First-year Mason Rice also had a strong showing at Hawaii, recording 23 kills, three assists, five digs, and a .933 service reception percentage for 25 points across seven sets played.
The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the EIVA preseason standings. Princeton was also ranked 18th in the latest AVCA poll.
Omene and Wedbush were named to the 2025 EIVA Players to Watch list. Both seniors were named to the All-EIVA First Team at the conclusion of last season.
Omene currently ranks third in the EIVA in kills per set (3.70), and points per set (4.40). He is also 24th nationally with 8.10 attacks per set.
Wedbush leads the Tigers and ranks fifth in the EIVA in assists, averaging 8.00 a set.
Joining the Tiger squad this year are five newcomers in the class of 2025, including Roan Alviar, Ambrose Engling, Rice, Kevin Yang and Ethan Wells.
First-years Alviar and Engling were named to the 2025 VolleyballMag Boys Fab 50 list.
In Princeton's season opener against no, 7 USC, Alviar played two sets while recording a team-high nine digs and going 18-for-19 on service receptions in his first collegiate game. Alviar currently leads the EIVA with 4.50 digs per set.
Princeton ended the 2024 season with a trip to the EIVA quarterfinals and an AVCA ranking of 18 in the final coaches' poll. The Tigers went 12-12 overall and 5-5 in conference play.
Tristan Whitfield was named the 2024 EIVA Freshman of the Year. Now entering his sophomore season, Whitfield led the EIVA in blocks last year with 80.0 while also recording 23 digs, 65 kills (1.08 per set), and six service aces.
In 2023, Wedbush led the Tigers in assists with 732, also recording a team-best 131 digs. Wedbush also notched a third-best 25 service aces on the season.
Omene was also among the leaders for Princeton in three stat categories last season, recording a second-best 311 kills and 36 service aces while notching a fourth-best 77 digs.
The Tigers are led by Sam Shweisky, who has coached the Tigers to 2 EIVA Championships and 6 EIVA Finals. Shweisky is in his 16th year as head coach of the Princeton men's volleyball program, and he is assisted by Joe Norton in his second year.

About Saint Francis

Saint Francis is 1-4 on the season so far, most recently picking up a 3-1 win against Rockhurst last Saturday in Chicago.
Michael Mosbacher leads the Red Flash with 41 kills (2.56/s), while Andrew Deardorff is behind him with 37 (2.31/s).
Kyle Charles leads the Red Flash in assists with 81 total so far (7.36/s)
Mosbacher also leads Saint Francis in digs with 19, while Nicholas Lynch has 10 blocks on the season to his credit.
Princeton holds the 17-13 advantage against Saint Francis, with the last matchup being a 3-0 Tiger win in University Park, Pa. in the 2022 season.

About Queens University Charlotte

Queens is 5-0 on the season, most recently capturing a 3-1 win over Barton College on Sunday.
Among the Royals' wins is a two-game sweep over Princeton's EIVA rival Charleston to open the season.
Queens will make the trip up to Princeton, stopping at George Mason for a game on Thursday night and NJIT on Friday.
Carson Strawbridge leads the Royal offense, averaging 3.67 kills per set. The redshirt freshman also has 12 service aces this season to his credit, and has a squad second-best 17.0 blocks this season.
Cayden Marin has accumulated 121 assists this season so far, 8.64 a set.
Chance Shampine leads Queens with 2.31 digs per set, while Nathan Vaupel leads with 18.0 blocks.
Princeton holds the 2-0 advantage all-time against Queens, last meeting in North Carolina last season where the Tigers swept the Royals 3-0 and 3-1.

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