Tigers continue their historic season start with victories at Columbia and Cornell

The women’s volleyball team continues their 9-game win streak after two back-to-back 3-0 sweeps against Columbia and Cornell.

The Princeton Tigers (11-3, 5-0 Ivy League) have once again demonstrated stellar performance and proved worthy of their title as reigning champions. Princeton has not lost a game since September 9th, and bagged two additional wins in their most recent games against Columbia (9-6, 4-1 Ivy League) and Cornell (6-8, 1-4 Ivy League) this past weekend.

At the first of their two away games, the Tigers’ co-captain and Ivy League player of the week Cara Mattaliano ‘17 led the attack against the Lions with 14 kills, and freshman Maggie O’Connell further solidified the victory with an additional 12.

In addition to thirteen digs and a service ace, freshman Jessica Harris set up a notable 42 out of the team’s 46 assists this game, and received her well-deserved title as the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week. Harris is now the third freshman in the team to have received this award.

At their second game of the week, the Tigers secured another three sets (25-16, 25-11, 25-23) in a convincing win at Cornell. As further display of their momentous form, Princeton made a stunning eight service aces against the Big Red, and scored 51 points against their 30.

Once again at the heart of the attack were co-captains Brittany Ptak and Cara Mattaliano, scoring 10 and nine kills respectively. The senior duo now holds the Ivy League’s first and second places in the kills per set ranking, with Mattaliano at 3.53 and Ptak at 3.15.

In this weekend’s games, not only did the captains demonstrate yet another instance of impressive performance, but the rookie Tigers – Jessica Harris, Devon Peterkin, and Maggie O’Connell – also displayed the extent of their caliber. Together, they scored 35 of the team’s 82 points this weekend and proved to be vital assets to the team.

Having won their thirteenth consecutive set and claimed the top spot on the table, the reigning champions have more than established their position as a menacing threat to all other teams in the league. Princeton has shown excellent form thus far, and is now the only undefeated team in the Ivies.

The Tigers hold the highest kills per set, hitting percentage, and the second highest digs per set in the league. If they continue to play at their current pace and maintain both their venomous offense and vigorous defense, a back-to-back league victory seems not only likely, but also inevitable.

Princeton will play Brown (4-11, 2-3 Ivy League) and Yale (11-3, 4-1 Ivy League) at home on October 14th, and October 15th, respectively. While both teams are coming from victories in their latest matches, the game against Yale will be an important test of character, as the Bulldogs are serious title contenders in the league.

If Princeton continues their winning spree this weekend, this season will become an even greater landmark in what has turned out to be a historic start.