Players Mentioned
Princeton "Volei" Spends Fall Break Competing, Building In Nicaragua
October 29, 2014 | Men's Volleyball
The Princeton men's volleyball team is spending its fall break in Nicaragua, competing against several international teams while also fulfilling its goals of both community service and team bonding.
“We are so excited for this opportunity to head to Nicaragua for our first ever International trip," head coach Sam Shweisky said before the team boarded a 5 am flight last Saturday. "The experience will be a great one for team bonding, community service, and great volleyball. BringItUsa tour guide extraordinaire Tim Kelly is helping to bring in Honduras as well as El Salvador National teams for us to compete with alongside the Nicaraguan National team."
The Tigers played both of those matches during the opening weekend, and they earned a split. Princeton Volei — as the t-shirts proudly read — dropped a close opener to Honduras hours after the team landed 25-23, 32-30, 25-21, but it bounced back for a win later against El Salvador 25-20, 25-22, 25-21.
Princeton returns six starters — including the senior trio of Cody Kessel, Will Siroky and Tony Ensbury — from a team that reached the EIVA championship match last season. It also brought in a talented group of freshmen, and Shweisky has appreciated the early ability to see the team grow together.
"We received major contributions from all 14 players in our first two international matches, which was outstanding," he said. "We're going to get a lot out of this entire trip, and it started immediately with two high-quality matches."
Ensbury, a first-team All-EIVA standout last season, is no stranger to international competition; he has been a two-year member of the U.S. Junior National Team. However, he is appreciating this ability to compete with his Princeton teammates.
"We are so excited to travel to Nicaragua and compete in the first ever Princeton men's volleyball international trip," he said. "My experience with the USA Junior National Team exposed me to how great international competition can be. We are looking forward to some great volleyball, some great team bonding, and some great cultural experiences. Go Tigers!"