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Friday, September 5
Harrisonburg, Va.
7:30 PM
Princeton University
1-0,0-0Ivy League
3
vs
2
Lehigh
2-2,0-0Patriot
1
2
3
4
5
F
Princeton
25
21
19
25
15
3
Lehigh
23
25
25
12
13
2
Women's Volleyball Outlasts Lehigh In Season Opener, 3-2
September 05, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Princeton University women's volleyball team came back from a set down to overcome Lehigh, 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 19-25, 25-12, 15-13), in its season opener at the LD&B Insurance Invitational inside the Convocation Center Friday night.
Lucia Scalamandre led from the front, compiling a match-high 18.5 points along with a team-high 15 kills on a .560 hitting percentage and four blocks. Valerie Nutakor added 14 kills and two blocks for the Tigers while Sydney Draper tallied a double-double with a match-high 41 assists, 10 digs along with a team-high two service aces. Jackie Onyechi led the match in blocks with six and Sydney Bold recorded a team-high 14 digs.
The opening set of 2025 began as a back-and-forth battle where the Mountain Hawks took a slight edge, 17-15. A kill by Onyechi led a 5-0 Princeton run that swung the momentum the Tigers' way, giving them a 20-15 advantage. A kill by Nutakor gave Princeton set point at 24-20, and despite a late 3-0 Lehigh run, Nutakor sealed the first set victory for the Tigers with her fourth kill to make it 25-23.
Princeton got off to a strong start in the second set, with an early 3-0 run putting the Tigers in front, 11-8. Lehigh fought its way back, eventually taking a 19-18 lead. A kill by Scalamandre kept it within one at 19-18, but Lehigh would level up the match, 1-1, winning the second set, 25-21.
While the Tigers held the lead at 10-9 in the third set, the Mountain Hawks would take a 12-11 advantage and not trail for the remainder of the set. An 8-0 Lehigh run put the Mountain Hawks in front, 22-14, then Lehigh would go on to earn a 25-19 third set triumph.
Ignited by a Scalamandre kill, Princeton used a 9-1 run to surge ahead in the fourth set, 12-6. The Tigers continued their dominance, with a Nutakor kill followed by back-to-back Draper service aces giving Princeton a 15-7 advantage. With the Tigers in front 20-12, an Erin McNair kill led a 5-0 run on which the Tigers would close the set out on. A Sarah Hom service ace gave the Tigers set point at 24-12 and an attacking error by Lehigh ended it at 25-12.
A Hom kill followed by a Lehigh attacking error saw Princeton take a 2-0 lead to open the fifth set. With Princeton up one at 8-7, a 4-0 run saw the Tigers jump ahead by five, 12-7. A kill by Ava Harrington gave Princeton match point at 14-11, and Scalamandre would go on to put an exclamation point on the win with a powerful kill that saw Princeton prevail in the fifth set, 15-13, and the match, 3-2.
Up Next
The Tigers face Bellarmine (2-2) at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow inside the Convocation Center as the LD&B Invitational continues.
Lucia Scalamandre led from the front, compiling a match-high 18.5 points along with a team-high 15 kills on a .560 hitting percentage and four blocks. Valerie Nutakor added 14 kills and two blocks for the Tigers while Sydney Draper tallied a double-double with a match-high 41 assists, 10 digs along with a team-high two service aces. Jackie Onyechi led the match in blocks with six and Sydney Bold recorded a team-high 14 digs.
The opening set of 2025 began as a back-and-forth battle where the Mountain Hawks took a slight edge, 17-15. A kill by Onyechi led a 5-0 Princeton run that swung the momentum the Tigers' way, giving them a 20-15 advantage. A kill by Nutakor gave Princeton set point at 24-20, and despite a late 3-0 Lehigh run, Nutakor sealed the first set victory for the Tigers with her fourth kill to make it 25-23.
Princeton got off to a strong start in the second set, with an early 3-0 run putting the Tigers in front, 11-8. Lehigh fought its way back, eventually taking a 19-18 lead. A kill by Scalamandre kept it within one at 19-18, but Lehigh would level up the match, 1-1, winning the second set, 25-21.
While the Tigers held the lead at 10-9 in the third set, the Mountain Hawks would take a 12-11 advantage and not trail for the remainder of the set. An 8-0 Lehigh run put the Mountain Hawks in front, 22-14, then Lehigh would go on to earn a 25-19 third set triumph.
Ignited by a Scalamandre kill, Princeton used a 9-1 run to surge ahead in the fourth set, 12-6. The Tigers continued their dominance, with a Nutakor kill followed by back-to-back Draper service aces giving Princeton a 15-7 advantage. With the Tigers in front 20-12, an Erin McNair kill led a 5-0 run on which the Tigers would close the set out on. A Sarah Hom service ace gave the Tigers set point at 24-12 and an attacking error by Lehigh ended it at 25-12.
A Hom kill followed by a Lehigh attacking error saw Princeton take a 2-0 lead to open the fifth set. With Princeton up one at 8-7, a 4-0 run saw the Tigers jump ahead by five, 12-7. A kill by Ava Harrington gave Princeton match point at 14-11, and Scalamandre would go on to put an exclamation point on the win with a powerful kill that saw Princeton prevail in the fifth set, 15-13, and the match, 3-2.
Up Next
The Tigers face Bellarmine (2-2) at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow inside the Convocation Center as the LD&B Invitational continues.
Team Stats
PU
Lehigh
Kills
53
60
Errors
19
27
Attempts
134
154
Hitting %
.254
.214
Points
69.0
72.0
Assists
52
57
Aces
6
8
Blocks
10
4
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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