This past weekend, Princeton women’s volleyball (8–9 overall, 6–2 Ivy League) traveled to the Empire State to take on league foes Columbia (3–12, 0–7) and Cornell (10–6, 4–3). The Tigers swept the Lions and took care of business the next day against the Big Red 3–1.
The highlight of the weekend came on Friday evening in Levien Gymnasium when Head Coach Sabrina King earned her 200th career victory with the program.
“I didn’t remember until the Columbia broadcast people reminded me,” King wrote to The Daily Princetonian when asked if the potential of win No. 200 was on her mind.
“200 wins was a really great chance for me to reflect on my coaching journey,” King continued. “That’s a lot of wins and each one of them was special.”
Milestone moment inside Levien
Both teams had their fair share of opportunities as the score was tied at seven early in the first set. First-year middle blocker Jackie Onyechi had an important kill that sparked a 4–0 run for the Tigers. The run was capped off by an emphatic kill from sophomore outside hitter Kamryn Chaney to make it 11–7 Princeton.
Chaney — a reigning All-Ivy second-team selection — has elevated her game to another level during her sophomore campaign. Coming into the match versus the Lions, Chaney was averaging 16.2 kills per game. Her 4.26 kills per set are tied for 27th in the nation.
“This year, I’ve really focused on refining my skills and pushing my limits during training,” Chaney wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Over the summer I worked closely with my old 18’s club coach Megan Keck at [First] Alliance who helped me identify what I needed to work on to improve my passing.”
Columbia was able to cut the deficit to one, but the Tigers went up 14–11 following another kill from Onyechi. Following two consecutive errors by Columbia that put them down 18–14, Head Coach Patric Santiago called a timeout to try and inspire a comeback for the hosts. Last week, Onyechi was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week.
Despite these efforts, the Lions were only able to cut the deficit to three. Princeton cruised to a 25–19 first set victory.
From here on out, the Tigers cruised. Columbia scored the first point of the second set after a long rally from both sides, but this proved to be the Lions’ lone lead for the second seat. After being tied at five, a kill from Chaney capped off a 3–0 run that put the Tigers up 8–5.
The Tigers kept pushing, refusing to take their foot off the gas. An error by Columbia put Princeton up 12–5 and in the driver’s seat. The Tigers then went up 20–7 before closing out the set 25–13.
Princeton dominated in every major stat category heading into the third set. The Tigers were hitting over .500 while Columbia struggled with a mere .125 hitting percentage. Chaney was leading the way with 10 of Princeton’s 32 kills while junior middle blocker Lucia Scalamandre had six kills to go along with 2.5 blocks.
The third set was all Princeton as two kills by Onyechi in four possessions put Princeton up 11–2 early in the set. From here on out, the Tigers cruised to victory, sweeping Columbia and winning the final set 25–12. The loss kept the Lions winless in the Ivy League.
MATCH POINT.
— Princeton Women’s Volleyball (@PrincetonWVB) October 19, 2024
Lucia Scalamandre crushes the ball to give the Tigers a 25–12 victory in the set and a 3–0 victory in the match, along with win number 200 for Sabrina King!#NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/NBI9T6cgnE
Tigers rebound after first set loss
On the second day of a back-to-back, the Tigers traveled up North to Ithaca, N.Y. to take on the Cornell Big Red. Despite a first set loss, the Tigers rallied to win three straight sets and take the match 3–1.
Princeton raced out to a 3–0 lead in the first set, but a 5–1 run shortly after put the hosts up 10–8 following a kill from outside hitter Jaida Stone. Points were traded amongst both sides, but an ace and a kill from Cornell middle block Mackenzie Parsons gave the Big Red its largest lead of the first set, 17–13.
A pair of kills by the Tigers brought them within two. Continuing to push for the crucial opening set win, a kill from Chaney made it 19–18 Cornell. However, the Big Red were determined to take the first set at home.
Outside hitter Eliza Konvicka had three kills during Cornell’s last six points en route to a 25–21 first set win for the Big Red. The junior from Houston, Texas was a second-team All-Ivy selection in 2023 and leads the Big Red with 247 kills this season.
The Tigers came out firing in the second set, taking a 6–1 lead before going up 14–6. A 3–0 run from Cornell made it 14–9, but Princeton refused to let Cornell get within two points all set and ultimately tied the match at one set a piece after a 25–20 second set win.
“We started a little slow and Cornell played well,” King noted. “We just had to settle and remember that serving tough and defensive effort goes a long way.”
After trading points to start the third period, Princeton quickly went on a 4–0 run to take a 6–2 advantage. This time, however, the Big Red refused to back down. After cutting the deficit to one, an ace from Konvicka made it 13–13.
Both sides continued taking stabs at one another and the Tigers were up 20–19 late in the third set. Two errors from the Big Red along with a kill from junior outside hitter Valerie Nutakor made it 23–19. Cornell was unable to recover from the four-point deficit and dropped the third set 25–21.
Heading into the fourth set, Chaney was closing in on yet another 20-kill game for the Tigers. Before the game against Cornell, Chaney had five 20-kill contests this season.
“Kami [Chaney] is as good of a player as I have ever coached,” King said. “She is incredibly talented and has grown so much from last season physically and mentally and honestly, she is just getting started. It’s scary.”
During the fourth set, it was once again Princeton jumping out to an 11–6 lead after a 9–3 run that included kills from Nutakor, Chaney, and a service ace from sophomore libero Sydney Bold. Bold was one of three players — the others being senior setter Gracie Wood and sophomore outside hitter Erin McNair — to finish the match with two service aces.
Cornell sparked a 4–0 to cut the deficit to three at 19–16. However, the Tigers simply responded with their own 4–0 run that included two aces to take a commanding 23–16 lead. Chaney’s 23rd kill of the match sealed the set 25–19 and the match. Chaney also had a match high 11 digs while hitting at a .400 percentage.
MATCH POINT.
— Princeton Women’s Volleyball (@PrincetonWVB) October 20, 2024
Kamryn Chaney puts down her 23rd kill to give the Tigers a 25–19 victory in the fourth set along with the 3–1 win in the match to secure a second-straight weekend sweep!#NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/ZB9OPsNpJe
The Tigers now find themselves on a four game winning streak and are 6–2 in the Ivy League, good for second place behind league leaders and reigning champions Yale.
Despite the break from the Ivy League, the Tigers will have a non conference matchup against Marquette (11–6, 7–1 Big East) next Saturday in a matchup that will prepare them well for the second half of the Ivy season.
“The next ten days are crucial for our team,” Chaney said. “It’s an opportunity for us to recharge physically and mentally, especially after a busy stretch of games.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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