BOX SCORE

Junior Vincent Tuminelli celebrated his 21st birthday in style Saturday, recording 24 kills and hitting .477 to lead the Princeton men's volleyball team from an 0-2 deficit to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tait Division rival Juniata Saturday afternoon at Dillon Gym.

Tuminelli led a brilliant hitting performance from Princeton, which had all five starting offensive options record at least 13 kills in the 31-33, 27-30, 30-24, 30-23, 15-13 victory over Juniata. The win moves Princeton above the .500 mark for the first time this season and evens its divisional record to 2-2.

One of those offensive options was senior middle Jeff McCown, who has been playing long enough to know two things: every match against Juniata will be a battle, and home divisional matches are must-wins. That's why he was pleased with the level of play throughout the match, even during the lost two sets.

"I felt we were playing steady volleyball," McCown said after recording 19 kills and two blocks. "We tried to stay within our game. It's a matter of focus."

That focus was there after a disheartening first set, when Princeton saw a big early edge evaporate in a 33-31 loss. The Tigers' only off game hitting came in the second, and Juniata took advantage with a three-point win.

But panic never made its way to the Princeton sidelines. Both head coach Sam Shweisky and McCown pointed out the performance of one player who was making his debut against Juniata.

"Scott Liljestrom did a great job bringing energy, passion and focus," head coach Sam Shweisky said of his starting setter, who recorded 79 assists and helped Princeton to a .411 attack percentage. "He spread the ball so well today, which is why we had so many hitters in double digits."

"We all work hard in practice with him," McCown said, "and he kills himself to get better."

The improvements in his game has led to greater offensive balance. Whereas early in the season, the majority of the kills would go to the outsides (Tuminelli and Pat Schwagler) and opposite Carl Hamming, now middles McCown and Michael Dye are becoming major forces. Dye had 14 kills, seven digs and five blocks in the victory.

Of course, Hamming and Schwagler did plenty as well, as both recorded double-doubles. Hamming recorded 19 kills, 14 digs and four blocks, while Schwagler recorded 18 kills and 14 digs. Schwagler, a freshman, had six kills and six errors in the first two sets; in the final three, all wins, he had seven kills and only two errors.

Princeton took control in the third and fourth game, and Shweisky credited his coaching staff for keeping the team informed at each rotation. Assistants Ryan Hennesy, Paul Kadlubowski and former All-East player Mike Vincent make up that staff, while senior Jeff Zhao was also assisting in charting the match.

While Princeton was comfortably ahead late in the third and fourth sets, there was nothing comfortable about the fifth. Juniata held a two-point lead at 8-6, but a block by Tuminelli gave Princeton a 10-9 edge. Schwagler and Dye combined for another block to build a  13-12 lead, and following a Juniata block, Hamming hit a cross-court kill to set up match point. A key dig by Sean Cotter kept the point alive on match ball, and the Eagles' second swing went wide.

Princeton will look to build on its two-match win streak Friday night at 7 p.m. when it hosts Springfield College in another Tait Division matchup.