Volleyball rolls through New England

The volleyball team has been on a tear of late, and this weekend was no different.

The Quakers notched road wins over both Harvard and Dartmouth to set them up for a Wednesday showdown with Princeton, as a piece of the Ivy title sits on the line.

“We get a chance to correct our mistakes, play harder, and still come out on top,” coach Kerry Carr wrote in an e-mail.

While Harvard (9-17, 6-8 Ivy) battled the Quakers tirelessly throughout the entire match, Penn’s offensive firepower — led by 13 kills each from sophomore Amanda Pacheco and senior Julia Swanson — proved to be too much for the Crimson to handle. The Quakers won in three sets, 25-23, 25-18, 25-23.

Swanson received help from fellow senior Madison Wojciechowski and junior Logan Johnson, as they headed the Quakers’ defense with 10 digs apiece. Sophomore Lauren Martin had a crucial block in a tight third set to finally put the Crimson away for good.

Senior Megan Tryon finished the night with 29 assists and became Penn’s all-time leader with 3,608 overall.

On the back end of a weekend doubleheader, the Quakers knew they had to continue playing with a sense of urgency to remain in Ivy championship contention.

Saturday the team travelled to New Hampshire to take on Dartmouth. The Quakers needed four sets to beat the sixth-place Big Green (14-11, 5-9 Ivy) and improve to 11-2 in conference.

Swanson once again led the Quakers offense with 19 kills, while Martin had 11 and Tryon contributed 44 assists.

The Quakers showcased a balanced defense, as five players recorded 13 digs or more. Freshman Susan Stuecheli also assisted on five of the team’s 13 blocks.

The Quakers have won 11 of their last 12 and need a win at third-place Princeton on Wednesday to tie with Yale for the Ivy Championship and avenge their five set loss earlier in the season.

“We are finally hitting our stride,” Carr wrote.

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