Friday, February 7
Princeton, N.J.
7:00 PM
Princeton University
3-4,0-0EIVA
1
vs
3
LIU
5-2,0-0NEC
1
2
3
4
F
LIU
25
19
25
25
3
Princeton
23
25
22
18
1
No. 17 Princeton Falls to LIU, 3-1
February 07, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
PRINCETON, N.J. – The no. 17 Princeton men's volleyball team fell 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 22-25, 18-25) to the LIU Sharks on Friday night in Dillon Gym.
Mason Rice and Owen Mellon each earned a team-high 13 kills in the match, with Mellon earning a .242 hitting percentage. The pair earned seven and eight digs on the night, respectively.
Mellon's 13 kills also marked a single-game career high for the junior.
Ryan Vena hit 6-2-11 for .364, also earning a clutch 3.0 blocks on the night with two solos and two assists.
Nolan Kelly had a squad-best .600 hitting percentage with four kills and one error on five attempts, also racking up a team-best 31 assists in the contest. Kelly also notched four block assists.
How It Happened
Entering the game, the Tigers went toe-to-toe with the Sharks, with neither side building up a lead through seven points before LIU went on a 4-0 run. Finding themselves in a deficit, the Tigers needed to come up with some big plays, and two kills from Vena and Jameson Vaccaro and two blocks from Mason Rice helped the Tigers tie it up at 17 apiece. Despite closing the gap, in a set that saw nine attack errors from the Tigers, Princeton would end up dropping the first one 25-23.
Princeton entered set two with more confidence, as the Tigers began the set with a 4-0 run before building up to a seven point lead that they were able to maintain almost entirely for the rest of the set, taking it 25-19 to tie the game at one set apiece.
Attack errors would prove to make the difference again, however, in sets three and four with the Tigers registering eight in each set. Princeton was able to keep set three within arm's reach, tying the set at five and again at eight and 13, but despite being a few points off, they could not close the gap before dropping the set 22-25.
Set four followed a similar story, as the Tigers were able to cut down an initial deficit, but a late run from the Sharks would call the game as the set ended 25-18 and the match, 3-1.
Up Next
The Tigers will open EIVA play next Friday, February 14 with a matchup on the road at NJIT in Newark, with the first serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Mason Rice and Owen Mellon each earned a team-high 13 kills in the match, with Mellon earning a .242 hitting percentage. The pair earned seven and eight digs on the night, respectively.
Mellon's 13 kills also marked a single-game career high for the junior.
Ryan Vena hit 6-2-11 for .364, also earning a clutch 3.0 blocks on the night with two solos and two assists.
Nolan Kelly had a squad-best .600 hitting percentage with four kills and one error on five attempts, also racking up a team-best 31 assists in the contest. Kelly also notched four block assists.
How It Happened
Entering the game, the Tigers went toe-to-toe with the Sharks, with neither side building up a lead through seven points before LIU went on a 4-0 run. Finding themselves in a deficit, the Tigers needed to come up with some big plays, and two kills from Vena and Jameson Vaccaro and two blocks from Mason Rice helped the Tigers tie it up at 17 apiece. Despite closing the gap, in a set that saw nine attack errors from the Tigers, Princeton would end up dropping the first one 25-23.
Princeton entered set two with more confidence, as the Tigers began the set with a 4-0 run before building up to a seven point lead that they were able to maintain almost entirely for the rest of the set, taking it 25-19 to tie the game at one set apiece.
Attack errors would prove to make the difference again, however, in sets three and four with the Tigers registering eight in each set. Princeton was able to keep set three within arm's reach, tying the set at five and again at eight and 13, but despite being a few points off, they could not close the gap before dropping the set 22-25.
Set four followed a similar story, as the Tigers were able to cut down an initial deficit, but a late run from the Sharks would call the game as the set ended 25-18 and the match, 3-1.
Up Next
The Tigers will open EIVA play next Friday, February 14 with a matchup on the road at NJIT in Newark, with the first serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Team Stats
LIU
PU
Kills
45
49
Errors
18
29
Attempts
125
134
Hitting %
.216
.149
Points
60.0
62.5
Assists
43
43
Aces
4
3
Blocks
11
10.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
SET
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
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