AT COURTSIDE: Communication breakdown hurts Quakers during weekend action

So why did the Penn volleyball team lose two out of three matches this weekend at the Palestra to open its season? Was it a lack of ability? A lack of effort? Two completely overpowering opponents? Nope. Actually, the answer appears to be a simple one – what we had here was a failure to communicate. In dropping 3-0 decisions to both Providence and Delaware on Saturday in the Penn Invitational, the Quakers seem to have found a significant chink in their armor – a lack of timing and cohesiveness on the court. "In both matches, there was just no communication out there," Penn senior captain Devon Austin said. "I think that everyone had a problem, including myself. We had a complete breakdown, especially defensively." Things had looked promising for Penn heading into Saturday's matches after it posted a convincing 3-0 victory over Buffalo on Friday night. The Quakers were setting up and finishing points crisply and seemed to have some of the chemistry that gave them the Ivies' best regular-season mark last year. But then they faced Providence on Saturday afternoon – and the tables were turned completely. Sophomore setter Heather Glick opened the match with a serve that was out by several feet, and that set the tone for the match. The Quakers were plagued by fundamental errors and never were able to get started. The Friars' size and blocking was definitely a factor, but the Penn squad felt it beat itself in some ways. "It's been a while since we played a team as big on the front line as Providence, but we need to push harder against top opponents like them," Glick said. "I really think we need more rhythm as a team. That's what I want to do – help us be mentally together on the court." As the team's setter, Glick will indeed have to help increase the communication level. That much is clear. But Penn coach Margaret Feeney is quick to point out that everyone must play a role in correcting what can be a common early-season problem. "We made lots of critical serving errors and we were not communicating well at all," Feeney said. "That's something that is an individual responsibility." The Quakers matched up much better against the Blue Hens, but once again inconsistent timing and focus proved extremely costly, and defeat was the result. "The three-game loss to Delaware was disappointing," Feeney said. "But it's early in the season and we haven't gelled yet." The positive thing that should be taken from this weekend's play is that the team does have time to gel and improve for the matches to come. The Quakers seem to have identified the weakness and can now use the losses as valuable lessons for the season. "We can definitely use this as something to build on," Austin said. "We thought we had a chance to win this tournament, but it didn't work out and we didn't play well. We worked so hard on individual things in practice, but we're not used to playing together as a team." Penn won't be in action again until next weekend, so there will be plenty of time to iron out the kinks and learn to function more as a group, both offensively and defensively. "We have a whole week in the gym, and there are some things we need to work on as a team," Austin said. "We just have to learn to work together a lot more." As the Quakers try to do just that, they'll see if solving this weekend's problems is as easy as identifying them.