{"id":8856,"date":"2026-10-17T23:53:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T23:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8856"},"modified":"2026-10-17T23:53:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T23:53:24","slug":"princeton-volleyball-restarts-under-new-head-coach-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8856","title":{"rendered":"Princeton volleyball restarts under new head coach – Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"


Libby Boyles (back center) is the sixth head volleyball coach in Princeton’s history and the youngest at 21. <\/span>(Mike Vaughn)
After closing out longtime head volleyball coach Andy Puck\u2019s 24-year tenure at Princeton with a regional championship last fall, the Tigresses are doing a hard reset to start the season as they look to extend their success into a new era.
First-year head coach Libby Boyles<\/a>, a 2022 Princeton graduate, is tasked with taking over a program that has run on autopilot for several years and replacing nearly the entire starting lineup.
As part of that process, Boyles took the unusual step of conducting tryouts for this year\u2019s team. Puck, who initially suggested the tryouts, estimated this was the first time in 20 years Princeton<\/a> had required players to do so.
\u201cI saw a lot of big eyes when I announced at an open gym that we were going to have tryouts,\u201d Boyles said. \u201cThat was a big change … but it was kind of the only way we were going to make this work. I thought it was a compliment to me that people [stayed and] wanted to see what the change was like. It was a hard decision to make because no coach wants to start a season like that, but change is inevitable sometimes.\u201d
Many of the 16 athletes who made the squad are already familiar with Boyles, who coached much of this year\u2019s junior class at the junior high and club levels.
I think it\u2019s been really good,\u201d junior setter Payten Harden said. \u201cWe all kind of know her. She\u2019s coached us before and helped us for club. We all know how she coaches, and her coaching style, and I think it\u2019s really brought us together because she likes to have fun but still get the work done.\u201d
Princeton’s Ava Kyle receives a serve during a match last season. <\/span>(Scott Anderson)
Harden and classmate Addi Parry will both serve as setters in Boyles\u2019 offense, which will require hitters to learn how to adjust to how each handles the ball.
\u201cAddi was a setter last year, and Payten was a [defensive specialist], but her club team figured out she was a pretty stellar setter, too,\u201d Boyles said. \u201cThey set differently, so we\u2019re making sure all of our hitters are acclimated to both setters and can adjust to both. So we\u2019re really working on [acknowledging] every set is not going to be perfect, and being able to handle balls that are out of system. I want to see the hitters grow with some more confidence.\u201d
Harden is also one of the Tigresses\u2019 team captains, alongside senior middle hitter Danika Burden and senior libero Ava Kyle. Junior Payton Brandt is set to join Burden up front for Princeton, while junior Jocelyn Strouss and sophomore Kolbi Lawson have emerged as the top options at outside hitter. Senior Olivia Sandoval and junior Annie Thompson will see time on the back row as defensive specialists.
Brandt is going to be a powerhouse. She\u2019s got a tough swing. We\u2019re working with her on working around blocks, and then blocking as well,\u201d Boyles said. \u201cKolbi Lawson also has just a powerful swing. We\u2019re working on some control with her. She plays to a level that doesn\u2019t show she\u2019s a sophomore. Jocelyn Strouss was a little timid as a freshman, but now she\u2019s come out of her shell, and it\u2019s just transformed her as a player.\u201d
The Tigresses open the season at the Hall Early Bird Tournament on Aug. 29.<\/p>\n

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Libby Boyles (back center) is the sixth head volleyball coach in Princeton’s history and the youngest at 21. (Mike Vaughn)After closing out longtime head volleyball coach Andy Puck\u2019s 24-year tenure at Princeton with a regional championship last fall, the Tigresses are doing a hard reset to start the season as they look to extend their success into a new era.First-year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t