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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
4-6,2-0Ivy League
Columbia
6-5,0-2Ivy League
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 13 | 13 | 21 | 0 |
| Princeton | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
October 02, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
PRINCETON, N.J. — The Princeton University women's volleyball team started fast and never slowed down, sweeping Columbia (25-13, 25-13, 25-21) Friday evening at Dillon Gym.
The Tigers were stellar from the service line, totaling 10 aces on the night, including a career-high six from Erin McNair and three from Ava Harrington.
The victory moves Princeton to 2-0 to begin Ivy League play, while the Lions fall to 0-2.
How It Happened
Princeton didn't waste any time building an early lead, scoring four consecutive points out of the gate. All four came on Columbia attack errors, with a block assist from both McNair and Shelby Burriss helping the Tigers take control. A McNair kill and another ace from team leader Harrington pushed the Princeton lead to 6-1. The run eventually reached 8-1 before the Lions called their first timeout of the set.
The Tigers led by as many as 11 points after McNair's first ace made it 13-2. Princeton closed the set on a 9-5 run, getting three aces from Harrington and four kills from Burriss while hitting .348 as a team to take the opening set, 25-13.
Columbia opened the second set by scoring the first point and taking a 2-1 lead, but Princeton quickly answered with a pair of Harrington kills to even the score at 3-3. The Tigers then created some separation with McNair's fifth kill of the match and two more aces, scoring four straight points to take an 8-4 lead before the Lions called timeout. McNair followed the break with another ace, her third of the run.
An 11-6 Princeton run extended the lead to nine points at 19-10. Ashtyn Sims had two kills during the stretch before adding another to put the Tigers ahead 22-13 and force another Columbia timeout. Princeton closed out the set on a block from Harrington and Ashley Duckworth, taking another 25-13 decision to move ahead 2-0.
The Lions opened the third set with three straight points before Princeton answered with four of the next five to even the score at 5-5. McNair continued her dominant night from the service line with back-to-back aces to give the Tigers a 6-5 lead, bringing her match total to six and doubling her previous career high.
The teams traded points throughout the middle portion of the set, with Princeton holding a 12-10 advantage. Four straight Tiger points, including two on Columbia errors, extended the lead to 18-13. The Lions pulled within three at 21-18, but Burriss answered with a pair of kills to help Princeton close out the sweep with a 25-21 third-set victory.
Of Note
- Princeton has beaten Columbia in 16 consecutive matches dating back to Nov. 3, 2017.
- The Tigers have not conceded a set to the Lions since Nov. 2, 2019, having won 34 straight.
- Erin McNair's six aces are a career high and are tied for the most by an Ivy player (Harvard's Sofia Rossi) in a three-set match.
- Shelby Burriss led the Princeton attack with a match-high 10 kills. McNair added nine, while Ashtyn Sims put down seven.
- Sims hit .583 for the match without committing an attack error, and finished with a match-high 11 digs.
- Ava Harrington did a little bit of everything, excelling from the service line once again with three aces. She also had five kills, five digs, and three block assists.
- Burriss and Ashley Duckworth each contributed a pair of block assists.
- Sydney Draper totaled 32 assists to lead the Tigers' passing effort.
- Princeton out-hit Columbia, .346-.127. The Tigers hit over .300 in all three sets: .348 (Set 1), .324 (Set 2), .375 (Set 3).
Up Next
Princeton hosts Cornell on Saturday night in its third straight match at Dillon Gym. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
