Princeton Overcomes Early Set Loss to Reach Regional Final

Princeton advanced to the Class 2A regional final after defeating the Alleman Pioneers 22-25, 25-14, 25-16 Tuesday at Illinois Valley Central in Chillicothe.

The Tigresses, who improved to 17-16, will face the host Illinois Valley Central Ghosts, 30-6, in Thursday's championship match at 6 p.m. The Ghosts earned their spot by beating Rockridge 25-13, 25-11 in the other semifinal on Tuesday.

Princeton dropped the first set despite an early surge. Ava Kyle served an ace to spark a 4-1 run that included two kills from Jocelyn Strouss, giving the Tigresses an 8-4 lead. Alleman, 13-12, answered with a 9-2 run to take a 21-17 lead and close the set.

Coach Libby Boyles said the team adjusted its defensive strategy on the fly to handle the Pioneers' versatile hitters. "We know that defense wins games, especially against teams where the hitters are pretty versatile," Boyles said. "They forced us to make some adjustments, and we were really good at communicating those with each other, and they ended up paying off."

Princeton took control of the second set, racing to a 9-1 lead. The team scored seven consecutive points on the serve of Kolbi Lawson, a recent addition to the regular serving rotation who recorded two aces in the match. Strouss added three consecutive kills during the rally.

"Our serving was what kept us in this game," Boyles said. "Kolbi Lawson was a serving change..and she took that and ran with it. You can always tell when somebody has confidence in themselves, and she had confidence in herself behind the service line."

In the third set, Princeton erased an 8-7 deficit by scoring five straight points on the serve of Payton Brandt. The Pioneers cut the lead to 18-14, but Brandt recorded two straight kills to extend Princeton's advantage and secure the win. Strouss finished with a match-high 11 kills, while Lawson had eight and Burden five. Kyle recorded 17 digs and three aces. Setters Payten Harden and Addi Parry distributed 13 and 10 assists, respectively.