Landis, PremDas, Grobeis Key Men's Volleyball First-Ever Win Over Division I Princeton

4/7/2010 12:00:00 AM

PRINCETON, N.J. (April 7, 2010) – Behind Jonathan Landis' match-high 25 kills, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team notched its first-ever victory over Division I Princeton University, 3-2 (25-30, 30-26, 30-26, 23-30, 15-11). The Ducks, now 20-11 on the season, hit an astounding .583 in the fifth and final set to secure the victory, while the Tigers fell to 10-8 on the year.

Junior SteFan PremDas hit. 393 for the match, recording 16 kills, 10 blocks, and six digs in the win, with senior co-captain John Dennan tallying 15 kills and seven digs in four sets. Junior middle Timothy Karl, who ranks sixth, nationally, in blocks per set, tallied a season-high 13 blocks, while adding six kills. Freshman Jake Modestow played all five, hitting .538, with eight kills and six blocks.

Junior co-captain Brandt Grobeis continued his stellar play, notching a season-best 66 assists, while guiding an efficient Ducks' attack that hit .357 for the match. Over his last five matches Grobeis, who ranks sixth nationally in assists per set, has averaged 59.6 helpers per match – against a pair of Division I opponents as well a Division II foe, and two AVCA Division III Top-5 teams.

Four Tigers tallied double-digit kills led by freshman Pat Schwagler's (Orchard Park, N.Y) 25. Junior outside hitter Vincent Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and freshman middle blocker Michael Dye (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) tallied 19 and 15 kills, respectively, with senior Jeff McCown (Frankfort, Ill.) adding 11 kills.

Sophomore setter Schott Liljestrom (Laguna Beach, Calif.) had a match-high 68 assists, while directing a Princeton offense that managed a .324 hitting percentage, while freshman Sean Cotter (La Canada, Calif.) collected a match-best 12 digs.

Set 1: Princeton 30, Stevens 25
The Tigers jumped out to an early 3-1 lead on a pair of Dye and McCown kills coupled with the Stevens error. Still up two at 14-12, Princeton committed an attack error, trimming the margin to one, but back-to-back Dye and Carl Hamming (Lake Bluff, Ill.) spikes gave the Tigers their largest lead of the set.

Stevens responded with a 7-2 run of its own – capped off by a Dennan kill – making it 20-18, while forcing a Princeton timeout. With the set still knotted at 25, the Tigers rattled off five unanswered points, taking a 1-0 match lead on another McCown tally.

Set 2: Stevens 30, Princeton 26
Again finding themselves down 3-1, Stevens outscored Princeton, 8-5, over the next several minutes of action to take a slim one-point edge. The Tigers then tied the set with a Tuminelli kill before a Ducks' error put Princeton back on top by one. Trailing 14-13, Stevens reeled off three-consecutive points, capped off by back-to-back Landis and Dennan kills, to take a 16-14 advantage, while forcing a Tigers' stoppage.

Up just 23-22 after a Schwagler kill, the Ducks scored two quick points on a Princeton attack error and a Landis kill to take a three-point lead before a Princeton timeout. Still ahead by three at 28-25, the Ducks did just enough down the stretch, outscoring their Tiger counterparts, 2-1, to even the match at a set apiece.

Set 3: Stevens 30, Princeton 26
With the set tied at four in the early going after a Schwagler kill, Stevens mounted a 7-2 run taking an 11-6 advantage on a Princeton error. The Tigers battled back, however, cutting it to three on a Ducks' miscue, but three-straight points, punctuated by a Dennan kill, lead to a Princeton timeout and a six-point Stevens' margin.

The Ducks extended the margin to seven coming out of the break on a Tigers error, but back-to-back Princeton points again cut the lead to five. From there Stevens mounted a quick, 4-2 spurt, building an eight-point cushion at 22-14 on a Dennan spike.

Princeton pulled back within three on a Ducks error, making it 27-24, but that was as close as the Tigers would come, with Stevens holding steady the rest of the way, sealing the set victory on a Dennan kill to take a 2-1 match edge.

Set 4: Princeton 30, Stevens 23
Hoping to stay alive, Princeton roared out to a 12-7 lead, taking the five-point edge on a Schwagler tally. Dennan notched a kill following a Stevens' break, cutting it to four, but a McCown spike on the ensuing play upped the margin back up to five.

Only up three at 19-16, Princeton rattled off a decisive, 9-3 run, taking a 25-19 lead on another Schwagler kill and a Stevens error. The Ducks responded with three-straight points to pare the deficit back down to three, but a 5-1 Tiger run to close out the set evened the match 2-2.

Set 5: Stevens 15, Princeton 11
Down 4-3 after a Schwagler spike, PremDas tallied back-to-back kills, kick-starting a 7-2 Stevens run that resulted in a five-point edge. Tuminelli then recorded kills on three of the set's next four plays, cutting it to one, while forcing a Stevens' timeout.

The Ducks regrouped coming out of the break, closing out the set on a 5-2 run to notch their first-ever victory over Princeton.
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