PRINCETON, NJ – Rutgers-Newark junior middle hitter Jon Keller had a match-high eight assisted blocks plus nine kills, but Princeton rode a balanced attack to a 3-0 win in Dillon Gym in the EIVA tournament first round. Set scores were 30-26, 30-27, 30-22. 

NCAA Box Score & Play-by-Play

Junior outside hitter Nate Stott hit .471 with a team-high 10 kills for the Scarlet Raiders (9-14) who capped their season after gaining the EIVA Hay Division's top seed to return to the league championship tournament after a two-year absence. 

The Tigers (11-11) hit a solid .322 (44 kills, 16 errors, 87 attacks) as a team behind the setting of Brandon Denham. Phillip Rosenberg notched 11 kills while Mike Vincent added 10. Jeff McCown and Carl Hamming added nine kills apiece. 

In set one, a Hamming ace ignited a 5-0 Tiger run which staked Princeton to a 25-20 edge that proved to be the difference. The set was extremely close with nearly identical attack numbers.  Rutgers-Newark had a dozen kills and six errors on 24 attacks while the Tigers had a dozen kills and six errors on 25 attacks.  Keller got in on all four Raider blocks in the set.

In set two, a Keller kill evened the score at 24-24 before a McCown kill and a Raider attacker error put the Tigers ahead for good at 26-24. The Raiders trimmed the lead to one three times before a service error and an attack error ended the frame. The numbers, again, were nearly even.  Each team had a dozen kills and an ace.  Stott had four kills and Keller, four.

In the third set, Princeton ran out to a quick 9-3 lead, then coasted home. The Tigers finally broke away from the visitors, hitting. 471 (20-4-34) behind six kills by Hamming and five by Rosenberg.  Keller hammered down five kills for Rutgers-Newark.

It marked the final game in Scarlet & Black for seniors Kenny Rienecker and Derek Wolfe while Princeton advances to Saturday's quarterfinal round against third-seeded Saint Francis in Loretto, PA, at 7 p.m.