Dartmouth Volleyball Drops Hard Fought Match to Princeton

Saturday, October 20

Hanover, N.H.

4:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

PRINCETON (Homecoming Weekend)

Dartmouth Volleyball Drops Hard Fought Match to Princeton

10/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H. - The Dartmouth women's volleyball team fought back in the opening game to take a two-game lead over Princeton but it was the Tigers who prevailed, taking a 3-2 victory. Princeton extend its win steak to 14 games while remaining undefeated in league play. The loss drops the Big Green to 12-6, 5-3 Ivy while the Tigers improves to 15-3, 7-0. Game scores were 35-37, 30-22, 30-26, 28-30, 9-15.

Princeton came out firing in game one, taking a 19-8 lead. Kelsey Johnson (Carlsbad, Calif.) helped her team come back with a huge block to make the score 10-19. Dartmouth began storming back as Sandy Barbut (Los Angeles, Calif.) started the rally with a kill. Another Barbut kill at 21-27 got the momentum on the home side. Megan MacGregor (Carlsbad, Calif.) served her team to 24-28 but it was Amanda Marston (Austin, Texas) that capped the comeback as the sophomore helped or served her team to a 29-tie.

The game was then point-for-point as neither side was able to get the lead. A Dartmouth error allowed the Tigers to go ahead, 36-35 and serve for the final point as Lindsey Ensign slammed the final point home for the visitors.

The second game had Katie Hirsch (Austin, Texas) and Johnson combining for four points as the Big Green jumped out to a quick lead. Dartmouth maintained either a three or four-point advantage for most of the game. Princeton was able to close the gap to four at 24-20 but kills by MacGregor and Barbut along with a block by Johnson helped Dartmouth close out the 30-22 victory.

Hirsch started game three off by serving her team to five points as Jess Thomas (Tampa, Fla.), Johnson and MacGregor all had kills for the Big Green. Princeton tied things up at nine as the two then tied for the next nine points until a MacGregor kill allowed Dartmouth to pull ahead. The Tigers tied the game again and took a four point lead before Thomas killed a ball and Johnson teamed up with Barbut for a block to knot the game at 25. A MacGregor ace led to a Princeton timeout with Marston serving game point as the Tigers made an attacking error to end the contest at 30-26.

Game Four had Dartmouth with an early advantage as the Big Green took a 12-8 lead. Princeton cut that lead to 13-12 after a block by Sasha Sadrai and Ensign. Sheena Donohue got her team back into it by serving several points as the Tigers cut the lead to 20-18. A Dartmouth timeout was not helpful for the home team as Ensign and Kelli Grobe blocked to tie the game immediately after the break. A Hirsch kill and service ace put the Big Green ahead 23-21. The two sides then tied the next four points before two Parker Henritze kills capped the Tigers comeback with a 30-28 victory.

The fifth and final game was all Princeton as the Tigers kept the momentum going, easily defeating Dartmouth, 15-9.

Five Dartmouth players were in double-figure kills as four also had double-doubles. Thomas recorded 17 kills and 18 digs, Hirsch had 58 assists and 10 digs, Barbut added 16 kills and 10 digs, MacGregor notched 15 kills and digs. Johnson was key up front as the freshman had one solo block while assisting on four more. Dartmouth outhit the Tigers, .242 to .219 but Princeton had 108 digs to the Big Green's 86.

Dartmouth takes to the road next weekend with key league matchups at Brown on Friday and Yale on Saturday.