Men's Volleyball: Seniors shine in pair of non-conference victories

The weekend started off with a hot NYU team, which had won four of its last five, coming to Dillon Gymnasium. Princeton started the game playing very well and easily took the first two sets and control of the match.

As has been a struggle for the team all season, however, the Tigers were not able to convert their two-set lead into an easy victory. The Violets came out strong in the third set and were able to take it despite a Princeton surge at the set’s conclusion.

The fourth set saw the teams neck and neck with one another until NYU seized the momentum at the halfway point and took the set by finishing with a 10-3 run.

“I think that’s definitely something we’ve been struggling with and something we really need to focus on,” sophomore setter Davis Waddell said of the team’s difficulty finishing out matches. “We’re a young team, and a lot of the time we need to just keep the focus up and keep playing hard for every game to make sure we don’t let them back in the match.”

The Violets were not able to make use of this momentum in the fifth set, however, as the Tigers led from the first point onward and took the set by a score of 15-11, resulting in the team’s fourth five-set win of the season.

The team faced Vassar the following day on what was the Tigers’ senior day.

“I don’t normally get to play, and it was so much fun,” senior outside hitter Jamie Ding said of senior day. “It was really scary going in, and I was very nervous but really excited to play. I had the whole bench behind me really pushing me forward and giving me confidence. It was a really different atmosphere.”

The team started off as it did in the NYU game, using a 10-4 run in the middle of the first set and a 8-3 run in the middle of the second to take a two-set lead, winning the first 25-21 and the second 25-17.

Princeton started the third set poorly, falling behind 7-3 and risking another match in which it was unable to finish out the match after taking the lead.

However, the Tigers slowly fought back and took their first lead of the set after freshman middle blocker Will Siroky had a kill with the score tied at 19.

The Brewers retook the lead by taking the next two points, but Princeton closed out the match by taking the final five points.

“It means that we’re feeling a lot better and feeling a lot more confident,” Ding said of what the two wins mean for the team.

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“It’s always easier to go into a big game knowing that everyone’s been performing well,” Ding continued. “We’re on the court working through problems and working through points that are tough and figuring out ways to make things work. Even if your opponents aren’t conference opponents, a win is a win, and having that experience as a team and that confidence really helps.”

The two home games continued a stretch of what is now six straight home games for the Tigers, which will reach nine by the time the streak is over.

“It’s been great playing so much at home,” Waddell said. “The home environment has been so great for us. The band has also been coming to our games, which adds a nice energy boost. It’s been really good after starting the season with basically all away matches. It’s been nice to get comfortable here and to get to take care of business at home.”

The Tigers will play another non-conference game when they take on Kean on Wednesday.