Volleyball begins march to Ivy title

After churning out six-straight victories and producing an impressive 7-2 record the Penn volleyball team has become a volleyball machine. And after nine games of fine tuning the machine is confident and excited for the real season – the Ivy League season – to get under way. This weekend the Quakers will travel to Providence and New Haven for games against Brown (tonight) and Yale (tomorrow) to open the Ivy season. "We're pleased with the success we've had," Penn coach Margaret Feeney said. "But the Ivy matches are different. This is what it's all about, this is what we play for. I love the Ivy schedule." Although the Ivy champion is not determined until the Ivy tournament at the end of the season, regular season matches determine tournament seeds, and the all-important top seed is a big advantage, both mentally and strategically, for any team wishing to win the title. Tonight the Quakers play Brown (2-1), which began its season last weekend at the Harvard Invitational with two wins and a loss, including a 3-1 victory over Harvard, which did not count in the official Ivy standings. Penn hopes to repeat last year's 3-0 thrashing of the Bears before taking on the Elis tomorrow. But last year's win over Brown was over a club team. This year, Brown volleyball has been restored to full varsity status in the wake of the growing move for gender equity in collegiate athletics. So it will be a different experience for the Quakers this year. Yale (8-2) is coming off a 3-0 victory over Fairfield, and is expected to provide a tougher test for the Quakers. Last year the Elis handed Penn its only regular-season Ivy loss, and it was on Penn's home court. So the Quakers hope to repay the favor when they step foot on Yale's Payne-Whitney gym tomorrow night. Kathy Hannon of Brown and Katie Roy of Yale are the leaders of their respective clubs. Both players are strong middle hitters, and the Quakers have prepared for this in practice all week. Roy, the stronger of the two players, has been recognized as one of the top 20 middle hitters in the nation. "Roy is a skilled athlete who has strong hitting, and a soft touch," Feeney said. "She is very good at tipping." Tipping is when a player goes up for a hit and instead of spiking the ball, tries to drop the ball in between the blockers. Quaker sophomore Heather Glick often beats the opposing defense by faking a set and tipping to an open spot on the floor. To compensate for both the strong hitting and the tipping Penn will of course turn to its deep and versatile bench. Feeney said she expects to use more of junior Jennifer Richmond for the weekend matches. Although Richmond at 5-6 is relatively small, she is a very quick player who Feeney believes will be better able to dig any tips coming her way. Penn will also depend on strong play from its other dig specialists, juniors Hallie Ben-Horin and Beatriz Rodriguez. Feeney hopes that her team, which had some consistency problems early in the season, will continue to play with the intensity and aggressiveness it showed in wins over Temple and LaSalle on Tuesday night. "I hope that the team that showed up for Temple is the one that shows up each and every night," Feeney said. "This week that was the case. After their big Quaker Classic win, they stepped it up for the next matches [Temple and La Salle]." The team seems confident that it can continue to perform at the high level it has been at of late. "We have the ability and the confidence," senior captain Devon Austin said. "We should go 2-0 this weekend. This team has everything it takes [to win the Ivy championship.]" Austin and fellow senior Jennifer Ott are the only current class that does know what it takes to win an Ivy title. As freshmen, the two played for Penn's 1990 championship team. Austin and Ott have been trying to inspire the team by stressing the satisfaction and the thrill that comes with a title. "Devon and I have to tell them how it feels," Ott said. "Life is better when you win the Ivies." While a title is still many matches away, the Quaker volleyball machine hopes to keep running on high octane by producing Penn's first two Ivy victories this weekend.