Men's volleyball stops skid, defeats Rutgers-Newark, 3-1

A four-match losing streak came to a stop last night at Dillon Gym, as men's volleyball rebounded to defeat visiting Rutgers-Newark, 3-1.

The Tigers (8-11 overall, 4-9 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) defeated the Scarlet Knights, 15-10, in the first two games, dropped the third game 15-9, and then smoked the visitors in the fourth and final game, 15-5.

Princeton used a balanced attack to defeat Rutgers (7-16), with four Tigers registering kills in double digits. Junior outsides Steve Cooper and Blair Anderson tallied 18 and 10, respectively. Junior middle Ryan Black finished with 13 kills and sophomore middle Scott Dore recorded 15.

While the Tigers dominated the first two games, Rutgers looked like it was ready to storm back in third. The Scarlet Knights went on an 8-0 run to take a commanding 12-5 lead, and a Tiger rally came too late to be effective. Princeton was smothered at the net, and missed digs doomed the Tigers for the game.

But Rutgers' potent offensive threat, middle Jason Hamernick, was a non-issue in the final game of the match. Although Hamernick had 21 kills for the night, he and the rest of the Scarlet Knights could not overcome the tenacious Tiger defense to extend the match to five games. — PATRICK KING