No. 19 Princeton Begins Weekend with Win 3-1 Over Sacred Heart

Friday, March 28

Fairfield, Conn.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

8-9,2-1EIVA

Sacred Heart

6-12,0-7EIVA

Princeton

Sacred Heart

No. 19 Princeton Begins Weekend with Win 3-1 Over Sacred Heart

March 28, 2025 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

FAIRFIELD, CT. – Beginning its two-game series, the no. 19 Princeton men's volleyball team defeated EIVA foe Sacred Heart 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-23) on Friday night in Fairfield.

Nyherowo Omene led the Tigers with 14 kills on the night, also making an impressive 14 digs.

Henry Wedbush dished out 36 assists on the night, going along with two kills and three blocks.

Ryan Vena also had a standout performance, registering nine kills for .571 hitting, also notching a team-high four blocks.

How It Happened
Sacred Heart came out hot, going on a 5-0 run early into set one. The Tigers were able to swing the momentum, though, answering with their own 4-0 run. The set continued fairly even, when a block from Vena and Jameson Vaccaro tied it for the Tigers at 16-16. The Pioneers put the set just out of reach with the Tigers with another 4-1 run and two more kills to lead 1-0.

The Tigers started set two with a 4-1 run of their own, but Sacred Heart was able to answer and tie the match at 5-5. The set continued on closely, with Princeton holding onto a narrow lead as Omene and Mason Rice tallied three kills each. Sacred Heart tied the set at 20, before Omene added another two kills while Rice and Vena added one each to call the set for the Tigers, tying the match.

In set three, the Tigers were able to build up an early lead with two kills by Rice and one by Vena, leading at 10-4. The Pioneers were able to bring themselves within two, but they could not outpace Princeton's scoring as the Tigers would notch four blocks to force a total of eight attack errors by SHU during the set. The set would go to the Tigers 25-19, and Princeton would take the 2-1 lead into the fourth.

With the Tigers looking to clinch the match and the Pioneers looking to hang on, set four began as an even battle between both sides. In a set that would go on to have 13 ties and four lead changes, a team effort helped push Princeton ahead with six Tigers earning a kill while Omene made four.

With the set knotted at 19, a kill by Owen Mellon and two by Omene, plus a service ace, helped the Tigers put the match just out of reach of SHU. The Tigers would take the set 25-23, and take the match 3-1.

Of Note

Omene and Vena each made career-high digs on the night, registering 14 and six, respectively.
First-year Ethan Wells matched Vena's team-high four blocks.
Omene added two aces to his career total, bringing it to an EIVA-leading 124.

Up Next
The Tigers will remain in Fairfield for another match against Sacred Heart tomorrow at 4 p.m.