Junior hitter Peterkin stellar for Tigers in early season action

Coming off a 6-8 Ivy League record and a 10-14 record overall, a young but experienced women’s volleyball team that has already played three tournaments this season looks forward to opening Ivy League play at Penn on Friday. The team has performed admirably in its appearances thus far, winning the Delaware Invitational and reaching the finals of both the Temple and Rutgers Invitationals to the respective home teams.

"Our three preseason tournaments have certainly built some great team chemistry on the court," junior libero Sarah Daschbach said.

A big part of this success has been junior right side Kendall Peterkin, already a two-time Ivy League Player of the Week this season. The versatile Peterkin has ranked among the Ivy League top three in both kills and points in each of her first two seasons, and is the top playmaker on the team, having taken home tournament MVP honors at the Manhattan Invitational. She shows no signs of regressing this season and perhaps even sits in pole position for Ivy League Player of the Year. As it stands, Peterkin leads the Ivy League in both kills (4.41) and points (5.07) per set, as well as ranking in the top 20 nationally for both statistics.

“Kendall is really coming into her own,” head coach Sabrina King said in a recent interview with GoPrincetonTigers.com. “Right now, she is our go-to hitter, and she has really taken ownership of that role.”

The strength of this Princeton team is clearly its play between the pin hitters. Peterkin is joined by sophomore outside hitter Cara Mattaliano, a first-team All-Ivy selection as a freshman. Mattaliano not only led all Ivy League freshmen in kills (3.35) and points (3.82) per set, but finished among the top three in the league for both categories, along with Peterkin (3.33 kills per set and 3.87 points per set). This talented duo is backed up by senior co-captains and pin hitters Sarah Hanna and Francie Jenkins, who have both dealt with injuries so far in their respective careers but offer impressive depth that few teams can match.

“Kendall in particular has been a huge asset to our offense,” Daschbach said. “She is a total stud hitting from multiple positions with so much power."

At libero, Daschbach returns for her third year starting at the integral position. The Atherton, Calif., native finished fourth in the Ivy League for digs (3.77 per game) and will look to orchestrate the Tiger defense.

Senior Nicole Kincade will anchor the middle position and is primed for a standout season, having been limited by injuries through her career. Kincade led Princeton last season in blocks with 91 and even finished third in the Ivy League in hitting percentage at .328. Joining her up front should be fellow senior Tiana Woolridge, an All-Ivy honorable mention in 2013 who actually led the league in hitting percentage with .360, but a preseason injury could thrust sophomore Brittany Ptak into the starting lineup. Ptak played just 35 sets last season, but her natural athleticism could make her an ideal middle to play alongside the New Jersey native Kincade.

One position less set in stone for the Tigers is setter, where senior Ginny Willis and sophomore Lauren Miller will compete for playing time. Miller won the starting job last season and finished fourth in the Ivies at 9.03 assists per set, but could find herself on the bench should Willis regain form. Willis was named to the All-Ivy second team as a freshman, followed by an honorable mention her sophomore year, so coach Sabrina King cannot go wrong with whomever she elects to start.

The Tigers open up versus Penn on Friday, with four consecutive home games to follow. This home stay culminates with an immense matchup versus four-year reigning Ivy League champions Yale on Oct. 11 in Dillon Gymnasium. If the Tigers can synthesize scintillating hitting from Peterkin and Mattaliano along with solid support play from Daschbach and Kincade, look for an upset that would be the biggest Princeton women’s volleyball victory in years.