Volleyball to tangle with Tigers tonight

Penn versus Princeton. What more needs to be said? Quaker fans and athletes alike all know what it means when it's time to tangle with the Tigers. Be it football, basketball, or volleyball the rivalry is intense and the goal is clear. Annihilate Princeton. Tonight (7 p.m.) the Tigers (3-1 Ivy, 6-4 overall) will travel to the Palestra for a showdown with the Penn volleyball team (3-1, 10-3). The match has all the elements that are expected from a classic Penn-Princeton match-up. The two teams are each 3-1 in the Ivies and will be battling for sole possession of second place. Both squads are coming off 3-0 sweeps of Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend. Each has suffered an Ivy loss to Yale, and the teams appear to be evenly matched. "Motivationally, this is a coach's dream," Penn coach Margaret Feeney said. "There's no motivation needed when we play Princeton. The team is confident, excited and ready to just go do it." While this weekend Penn seemed almost bored playing against the inferior talent of the Crimson and the Big Green, the team is now anxious for a challenge from a quality opponent. The Quakers did not seem nervous on the eve of the big match. They have physically been preparing the same way as for any other match but the Penn team does admit that the intensity level was up. "[Yesterday at practice] there was an air of excitement that filled the gym," junior Hallie Ben-Horin said. "Princeton has always been our rival. We're excited to play someone good." Tiger setter Kristen Spataro will lead the Princeton attack, setting up outside hitters Kristen Hansen, Candi Pierson and Tina Smith. The powerful frontline has a league-leading average of 14.23 kills per game. Pierson, a sophomore, is leading the Tigers with 158 kills. She also leads the Ivies with 4.65 kills per game. Smith, a senior, has been an unexpected surprise for Princeton. After playing basketball for three years she decided to stop dunking and start spiking. Her 117 kills are good for second on the Tiger squad. Penn senior captain Devon Austin feels that stopping Princeton's front line attack with good defense will be a key to the match. The Quakers' tall middle blockers have a league-leading 2.54 blocks per game and should be able to match up well with the Tigers' front line. Penn freshman Jennifer Law leads the Ivies with 1.15 blocks per game. "We're one of the bigger teams in the Ivies," Austin said. "We need to block well. Blocking helps our defense." Austin should know what it takes to beat Princeton. Last year she played for a Quaker team that faced the Tigers three separate times. Penn won all three matches last season. First in the regular season the Quakers won at Princeton 3-1. Then in the Ivy League Tournament Penn beat the Tigers twice, 3-2 and 3-0. Senior Jennifer Ott admitted that Princeton "is our biggest rival. This is definitely our most important game so far" but she then pointed out that the game is only one step towards a larger goal. "My motivation is to win [the Ivy League title]" Ott said. "Tonight we're just looking for another Ivy win." After two Ivy wins last weekend, some Quakers had suffered injuries (Ott elbow, sophomore Nida Germanas ankle), but tonight Penn is expected to be at full strength for what should be another classic Penn-Princeton contest. Let the war begin.