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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
0-1,0-0Ivy League
Villanova
3-1,0-0Big East
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova | 15 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 16 | 3 |
| Princeton | 25 | 20 | 16 | 25 | 14 | 2 |
Women’s Volleyball Falls to Villanova, No. 7 Arizona State to Begin Season
September 04, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
HAMILTON, N.Y. — The Princeton University women's volleyball team dropped both ends of Friday's season-opening doubleheader at the Colgate Volleyball Classic at Cotterell Court, falling to Villanova, 3-2, and No. 7 Arizona State, 3-0.
Set scores against the Wildcats (3-1) were 25-15, 20-25, 16-25, 25-23, 14-16, while the Sun Devils (4-1) swept the Tigers (0-2), 19-25, 13-25, 14-25.
Princeton vs. Villanova
The Tigers got off to a quick start in the first set, scoring four of the match's first five points with a kill each from Sarah Hom and Ava Harrington. After Villanova cut the lead to one at 6-5, Princeton reeled off four straight points via two errors and two bad sets, prompting the 'Cats to take a timeout trailing 10-5.
Coming out of the break, the Wildcats scored two of the next three points before the Tigers—by way of kills from Jackie Onyechi and Ashtyn Sims—notched four of the next five to take a 14-7 cushion. It was 15-9 at the media timeout. Princeton finished out on a 10-6 run, taking the first set by a score of 25-15. The Tigers hit .550 in the first set of the season, with a team-leading four kills from Sims.
Villanova rebounded nicely with a 4-1 push out of the first-set break. Sloppy play on offense allowed the Tigers to get right back into the set, using a 9-5 run to take a 10-9 lead, which was capped by a block from Harrington and Onyechi. Nova scored four consecutive points to retake the lead, 13-10, which caused Princeton to use its first called timeout of the afternoon.
The Wildcats continued their march toward a Set 2 victory by going on a 9-2 run from there, leading 19-12 and taking their largest lead of the day. On the doorstep of defeat, three straight attack errors and an Onyechi kill allowed the Tigers to reel the Wildcats in by five, now trailing 23-15. Nova picked up set point on a Sydney Draper set error, but a kill for Harrington and another attack error allowed Princeton to get back within four points at 24-20. Loren Winn's third kill of the match allowed Villanova to knot the match up at one set apiece. Harrington had four kills in the set to lead her teammates.
After a strong second set, the Wildcats got right back to work in the third stanza, surging ahead for a 6-2 edge. Princeton was able to keep close, but Nova had a 15-10 lead at the media timeout. Villanova scored four straight after the breather to take a commanding 19-10 advantage. It was too much to overcome, with the Wildcats holding on for a 25-16 win and a 2-1 match lead.
Needing to take the final two sets in order to come away with a season-opening victory, Princeton used two kills from Onyechi to get out to a 5-2 lead in the fourth. Villanova nearly tied things up again after getting the score back to 6-5, but a pair of kills for Sims and Harrington made it a 15-10 Tiger lead at the media timeout.
A 5-1 run allowed the 'Cats to trim the deficit back to 16-15, which forced Princeton to spend a timeout, but Onyechi's 12th kill of the day provided a bit of breathing room. Sydney Bold's service error sparked a barrage of four straight points—a Burriss kill, block by Burriss and Sims, and a Draper ace before a Villanova service error—as Princeton took a 21-16 lead.
The Wildcats got as close as a single point, down 24-23, but Onyechi put away another kill to force a deciding fifth set.
The Tigers recorded the first two points of the fifth set, capitalizing off back-to-back attack errors from Villanova's Cat Young. Princeton led by as many as five points at 11-6 before the Wildcats began their comeback attempt. The Tigers had match point up 14-9, but Villanova used a 7-0 rally to come away with the win and spoil Princeton's season opener.
Of Note
- Jackie Onyechi tallied a team-high 14 kills on 31 attempts (.355), adding six blocks (five assisted).
- Ashtyn Sims (11 kills) and Ava Harrington (10) finished with double-digit kills. Harrington recorded six total blocks in the effort.
- 2025 Ivy League Player of the Year Sydney Draper got her senior year started with 40 assists, adding 10 digs.
- Libero Sydney Bold recorded a team-high 12 digs in the performance.
- Shelby Burriss hit a match-leading .636 on the floor, totaling seven kills in 11 attempts.
- Despite the loss, Princeton out-hit Villanova, .198-.162.
Princeton vs. No. 7 Arizona State
The nightcap started off neck and neck for both teams, with Princeton leading by as many as four points—up 9-5—to begin the set and the Sun Devils knotting it up at 13-all. ASU led 15-13 at the media timeout, with three kills each for Sarah Hom and Shelby Burriss. The Tigers kept it close at 18-16 before Arizona State used a 7-3 run to pick up a 25-19 opening-set victory.
ASU began the second set quickly, getting out to an 8-2 edge before Princeton used a timeout to slow the pace down. The Tigers responded with a point off an attack error, but the Sun Devils used a 6-3 run to take a 15-7 lead at the media break.
Ava Harrington's kill cut the ASU lead in half at 16-8, but the Sun Devils scored five consecutive points to take a commanding 21-8 advantage. Princeton was able to score five more points, with kills from Ashtyn Sims and Jackie Onyechi, but Arizona State went up 2-0 with a 25-13 victory in Set 2.
Princeton scored the first three points of the third set via a Hom kill and two attack errors by ASU's Noemie Glover. That lead quickly evaporated when the Sun Devils used several errors off the Tigers' attack to build a 10-2 run and take an 11-5 lead. Princeton never recovered, as Arizona State outscored the Tigers 15-9 the rest of the way to complete the three-set sweep.
Of Note
- Hom led Princeton with a team-high seven kills.
- Harrington finished with six kills, while Burriss added five.
- Sydney Draper had 23 assists and five digs.
- Sydney Bold's 11 digs were a match-high.
- Onyechi only registered two kills in the nightcap, but had a team-high two block assists.
- Arizona State used a 12-kill effort from Noemie Glover and a .337 attack percentage as a team to pick up the win.
Up Next
Princeton closes the weekend slate Saturday evening, taking on host Colgate at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
