Courtesy: Beverly SchaeferThe Princeton volleyball team was in total control of Tuesday night's home opener against Rutgers-Newark, leading nearly wire-to-wire in a 3-0 win over the Scarlet Raiders.
Sophomore Cody Kessel, the reigning EIVA Newcomer of the Year, led Princeton with 10 kills in a 25-18, 25-9, 25-16 victory. Princeton trailed only one time in one individual set, and that would be a set the Tigers would ultimately win 25-9 thanks in part to runs of 6-0 and 7-1.
The win improves Princeton to 2-2 overall, 1-1 in EIVA play. The Tigers will look to move over the .500 mark in both categories Friday night when they head to in-state rival NJIT.
Sophomore Will Siroky led Princeton with 13.5 points, an effort that included eight kills, four aces and three blocks. Three of his four aces came consecutively during the middle set, and he also bolstered the Tigers' attack percentage (.338) with a .778 performance of his own. Junior Pat Schwagler added nine kills and matched teammate Tony Ensbury with a match-best six digs.
"It was good to get this victory, and I hope we can use it to start a winning streak," head coach Sam Shweisky said. "You can never take a night off in this league, as we have learned in past years, and we'll have to be at our best again Friday night at NJIT."
This will be Princeton's only home match in February, though the Tigers will return to Dillon Gym for six home matches in March. Included in that stretch will be key EIVA showdowns with both Harvard (March 2) and reigning champ Penn State (March 29), as well as a nonleague matchup against a strong Lewis squad (March 8).
Princeton's next four matches will be on the road, including matches at both NJIT and NYU this weekend.
