Princeton playoff hopes axed by Lumberjacks

WESTWOOD — The Lady Eagles from Princeton High soared into the tall timbers of Westwood Tuesday night, in an attempt to logroll the second-seeded Lumberjacks in the first round of the Division VI volleyball playoffs. The hosts, however, had other ideas, and showed No. 15 Princeton the strengths that made them a No. 2 seed, sweeping the Eagles 25-12, 25-11, 25-13.

With a distinct height advantage and led by senior Megan Tilford, who led the Northern Section in ace serves and was second in blocks, Westwood weathered an early Princeton surge to take control for most of the match.

The spirited Eagles squad took the court pumped with enthusiasm, taking an early 4-2 lead in the opening game behind kills by Mia Nelson and Jordan Leonard, and a Kodi Gimblin ace. The two squads combined to send 14 different servers to the line in the early stages, with neither team able to hold serve for more than two points at a time.

Unfortunately for Princeton, that would change following a pair of ace serves by Leonard.

After earning side-out and a 15-12 lead, Westwood's Cassandra Bowen took ball in hand and served out for the next 10 points and the first-game victory, ending it with the first of her team-high five aces.

The unfortunate string reached 18 for the Eagles, as Ellen Medici served up the first eight points of Game 2 for the Lumberjacks, forcing Princeton to play in comeback mode the rest of the way.

Erika Donohugh sandwiched a Nelson smackdown with a pair of aces during a four-point service run to chip the deficit down to 6-11, but Westwood's height and jumping ability enabled its attackers to play above the net and drive the ball down to the floor more consistently.

Princeton came out with a flourish to begin the third game, refusing to pack it in. Gimblin served for the first five points, which included a pair of aces, and Nelson hammered down two more kills to give the eagles a 5-0 lead. Westwood then found its fourth gear, battling back with a barrage of attacks to take a 9-8 lead — a lead they never relinquished. There was plenty of fight left in the Eagles, evidenced by some well-timed digs by Alejandra Gutierrez, but Westwood's unrelenting pressure wore them down in the end.

Tilford's 17 kills was tops among Westwood's 35, and Bowen recorded five of their 17 aces.

Nelson led the Eagles with five kills, with Leonard supplying four. Donohugh and Gimblin served up three aces apiece, and Gimblin also led the team with seven assists.

" I liked our competitiveness. We played tough against a big, strong team," said Princeton coach Matt Harvey. "I appreciate how hard they worked this year. It's never easy with a new coach."

Princeton finished the year 4-4 in the Pioneer League, and 10-13-1 overall.