Princeton University Athletics
Wednesday, January 14
Irvine, Calif.
6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST
Princeton University
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UC Irvine
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Princeton
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UC Irvine
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Tigers Drop Season Opener to #7 UC Irvine, 3-0
January 15, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
IRVINE, CALIF. – The #18 Princeton men's volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-10) to #7 UC Irvine in its season opener on Wednesday night in Irvine, Calif.
The Tiger offense was led by senior captain Owen Mellon with 10 kills on the night. He was the only player in the game to reach double figures. He hit .333 for 11 points on the night.
Ryan Vena, Andrew Werner and Tristan Whitfield each tallied three block assists on the night for a squad-high.
How It Happened
Set one was an even 5-5 split to start before UC Irvine began to pull away with a 4-0 run. A kill from Mellon and a block by Vena and Werner helped answer for it, but the Tigers could not outscore the Anteaters and UC Irvine took the set, 25-17.
Set two followed a similar pattern as Mason Rice tallied the first two Tiger kills of the set, knotting the match at 6-6.
Continuing to match the Anteaters, the Tigers used a Rice-Werner connection to take the lead, 9-8. Rice, who totaled a squad-second six kills on the night, would add two more kills to keep Princeton ahead at 12-11, but UC Irvine was able to overtake the Tigers again with two more points of their own.
Pulling away, UC Irvine outpaced the Tigers for the remainder of the set, taking it 25-19.
UC Irvine began set three with a 5-0 run as it looked to finish the match in set three. Trailing the entire set, the Tigers fought to stay alive with three more kills from Mellon, but they would ultimately fall 25-10.
Up Next
The Tigers will stay in California for a matchup against #5 USC on Friday in Los Angeles. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Galen Center.
The Tiger offense was led by senior captain Owen Mellon with 10 kills on the night. He was the only player in the game to reach double figures. He hit .333 for 11 points on the night.
Ryan Vena, Andrew Werner and Tristan Whitfield each tallied three block assists on the night for a squad-high.
How It Happened
Set one was an even 5-5 split to start before UC Irvine began to pull away with a 4-0 run. A kill from Mellon and a block by Vena and Werner helped answer for it, but the Tigers could not outscore the Anteaters and UC Irvine took the set, 25-17.
Set two followed a similar pattern as Mason Rice tallied the first two Tiger kills of the set, knotting the match at 6-6.
Continuing to match the Anteaters, the Tigers used a Rice-Werner connection to take the lead, 9-8. Rice, who totaled a squad-second six kills on the night, would add two more kills to keep Princeton ahead at 12-11, but UC Irvine was able to overtake the Tigers again with two more points of their own.
Pulling away, UC Irvine outpaced the Tigers for the remainder of the set, taking it 25-19.
UC Irvine began set three with a 5-0 run as it looked to finish the match in set three. Trailing the entire set, the Tigers fought to stay alive with three more kills from Mellon, but they would ultimately fall 25-10.
Up Next
The Tigers will stay in California for a matchup against #5 USC on Friday in Los Angeles. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Galen Center.
Team Stats
PU
Irvine
Kills
22
41
Errors
18
11
Attempts
68
75
Hitting %
.059
.400
Points
29.0
54.5
Assists
20
38
Aces
0
7
Blocks
7
6.5
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
PIN
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
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