In their last non-Ivy League matchup of the season, Princeton women’s volleyball (8–10 overall, 6–2 Ivy League) faced off against a powerful Marquette team (15–6, 9–1 Big East) on Saturday afternoon at Dillon Gym. Despite a spirited effort, the Tigers fell to the Golden Eagles in straight sets (25–13, 25–21, 25–13). The Golden Eagles, ranked just outside the national top 25, proved to be formidable competition, delivering the Tigers a dose of high-intensity play that highlighted areas for growth as they prepare to return to Ivy League action against undefeated Yale next week.
The first set started with both teams trading points, but the Golden Eagles quickly picked up momentum after going on multiple runs. Despite Princeton’s efforts to keep up, Marquette’s aggressive attacking put the Tigers on the defensive, and a 6–0 surge extended Marquette’s advantage to 18–8. The Tigers continued to press but could not close the gap, and Marquette clinched the first set, 25–13.
Princeton showed resilience in the second set, keeping the score tight as they trailed by just a point or two for the first half. At 20–16 in the set, the Tigers had a rally started by junior middle blocker Lucia Scalamandre’s crucial block. After a service ace by sophomore setter Sydney Draper, Princeton got just one point behind.
S2: (RV) Marquette 21, Princeton 20
— Princeton Women’s Volleyball (@PrincetonWVB) October 26, 2024
Service ace!
Sydney Draper keeps it close in the second set!
💻: https://t.co/cdeGlYUWBF #NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/Zhgy0gAjxC
Under the pressure of this potential rally by Princeton, Marquette decided to take a time out and reset. After the resumption of play, they quickly ended the run by the Tigers and took the second set 25–21.
“Playing against a team with that kind of intensity really opens our eyes to what we need to work on,” sophomore outside hitter Kamyrn Chaney told The Daily Princetonian post-match. “It was tough, but it’s good prep for where we want to go, especially heading into Yale.”
The third set initially looked promising as Princeton, sparked by an early Scalamandre block, took their first lead of the match at 6–5 in the third.
The Tigers held strong through several ties, even pulling even at 8–8, but Marquette rallied back with a decisive 6–0 run to take control. They closed the set 25–13, sealing a 3–0 victory for the away side.
“I want to get in the gym and work hard to fix my mistakes and improve as a teammate,” Chaney reflected to the ‘Prince.’ “This game gives us a solid debrief on where we need to adjust.”
With their non-conference schedule behind them, the Tigers will now turn their full focus to Ivy League play as they head to New Haven to face Ivy League leaders Yale (13–3, 8–0 Ivy League) on Friday, Nov. 1. Yale, the only undefeated team in the Ivy League and back-to-back conference champions, will offer a challenging but highly-anticipated rematch for the Tigers, who have shown growth since their last meeting.
“We’ve gotten better since the last time we played them. So I mean, looking forward to that, we’re just working on controlling our side, being intense, being aggressive, and executing what we can,” Chaney concluded.
Ark Bunyan is a Sports contributor and a contributing Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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