Monday News

TigerBlog had a busy Monday.

He'll tell you more about it later this week. In the meantime, the part that applies right now is that it was around 4 before he got a chance to check on the men's volleyball match against UCLA.

The match began at 2, so he figured when he looked at the live stats that it would probably be over by then. Instead, he saw it was tied at 2-2.

This wasn't just another match. This was No. 10 Princeton against No. 2 UCLA, in Dillon Gym. Princeton, by the way, is the defending EIVA champion and the preseason favorite to win another one.

UCLA is, well, UCLA, the winner of 19 NCAA men's volleyball championships, which just happens to be 14 more than any other team has ever won.

And here they were, headed to Game 5.

TB immediately stopped what he was doing - which was starting to write this - and watched the last set on ESPN+. Yes, UCLA won, but hey, Princeton had to earn itself a lot of national respect with that performance.

The other thing that was obvious from watching is that volleyball in Dillon Gym is quite an event. Even University president Christopher Eisgruber was there.

On the other hand if you want to see the men's volleyball team at home for one of those events, you're going to have to wait a little while. Actually, a long while.

Princeton's next nine matches are all away, and it won't be until Feb. 28 until the Tigers are back in Dillon Gym. That match will be against Sacred Heart.

The Tigers are at Charleston (the one in West Virginia) this weekend for two matches. Then it's first semester exam break, followed by a second trip to California at the end of this month, including a rematch against UCLA.

There was a lot of Princeton Athletics news for your Monday, by the way, besides just a great men's volleyball match.

Jaelin Llewellyn was named the Ivy League men's basketball Player of the Week after his 18-point, 14-round performance in Princeton's 78-64 win over Penn. You can read the whole story HERE.

TigerBlog has two takeaways from that story. First, that's a great picture - photo by Gavin Baker, by the way.

Second, the winner could have been any of Princeton's big three of Llewellyn, Richmond Aririguzoh or Ryan Schwieger could have won the award.

It won't take Princeton long to see Penn again either, as the teams meet again Friday at Jadwin Gym (tip at 5). Remember, a year ago Princeton swept Princeton in the first two Ivy League games, and the Tigers are trying to match that this time around as well.

You actually have to go back to the 2013-14 season to find a year when the team that won the first Princeton-Penn game didn't win the second. What does that mean Friday night? Nothing.

In other news, the women's basketball team moved into the top 25 in the AP poll (HERE) and Bella Alarie was named to the Her Hoops State mid-major Player of the Year watchlist (HERE). 

Like the men, the women's next game is also against Penn. That one is Saturday at 1 at the Palestra.

Princeton and Penn have dominated Ivy League women's basketball for the last 10 years, and they will enter their Ivy opener against each other with a combined record of 22-2.

The teams are definitely getting it done defensively, as they both rank in the top five in Division I in fewest points allowed. Penn is third at 47.9; Princeton is fifth at 50.3.

That's in the country, not in the Ivy League.

That's out of 348 teams, by the way.

Oh, and if you think Princeton and Penn are going to roll through the Ivy League, they might - but it certainly will not be easy. The league is greatly improved across the board, and every game will be a major challenge.

And in other news?

Ashleigh Johnson was named the top women's water polo player in the world again.

You can read all about that HERE.

Then again, that's not really news, is it?

Not after how many times it's happened before.