Vball takes it one at a time

"We're taking it game by game, one opponent at a time." While this old adage may be true for 99 percent of sports teams, it does not mean a thing for the Penn volleyball team this weekend. Both the players and Penn coach Margaret Feeney admit that tomorrow's matches against Drexel (11 a.m.) and Georgetown (3 p.m.) are viewed as a last chance to fine-tune for next weekend's Ivy League Tournament. Unfortunately the Quakers (13-7) will need more fine-tuning then they had anticipated. Junior Karen Jones suffered a season-ending knee injury during last weekend's match against Columbia. Jones, an outside hitter, has been a consistent starter on a team deep with talent. According to Feeney, Jones had been playing her best volleyball of the season before the injury. Jones tore her anterior cruciate ligament, and will need surgery sometime between now and Christmas. Luckily for Feeney – or perhaps more accurately – due to intelligent coaching by Feeney, many players are prepared to fill in for Jones. All season Feeney has used her talented bench, giving many players opportunities to play, even during close matches. So despite the injury to Jones, the Quakers have confidence that the reserves can step in and perform. "All year we've talked about our depth," Feeney said. "Now our depth needs to step forward." Feeney plans on starting freshman Alexis Usnick in place of Jones. Middle blockers Nida Germanas and Jennifer Law, as well as outside hitter Karen Kinsherf will all see increased playing time. "They've been playing all year," sophomore Heather Glick said. "We're confident that they can fill in, and I think they're confident in themselves." The Quakers are coming off a 2-0 Ivy League road trip which included a 3-2 victory over Cornell and a 3-0 win against Columbia. The victories clinched a second seed for Penn during the Ivy tournament. Tomorrow will be Penn's last appearance of the year at the Palestra, as well as its last matches before the Ivy tournament. Any problems that do arise with the new lineup will have to be resolved during tomorrow's contests with the Dragons and the Hoyas. Drexel (11-15) is coming off a 3-1 loss to Villanova. Last year the Quakers defeated the Dragons 3-1, and during the preseason Penn had an easy time with Drexel during a scrimmage. Although things look in control against the Dragons, Feeney fears that the team will overlook Drexel, especially with a tougher Georgetown opponent later in the afternoon. "We should be able to beat both teams, but Georgetown is the better of the two," Feeney said. "We dominated Drexel during preseason and that scares me. We need to think about now. Drexel's setter, Kim Spottswood, is a real good player. They're a different team from preseason." Senior captain Devon Austin agrees that the Dragons can not be taken lightly. "You can't use the scrimmage as a gauge of how good they'll be," Austin said. "They see us as a big rival. Drexel will come in here fired up." Regardless, the Hoyas (9-16) look to be the more difficult challenge for the Quakers. The Big East team is coming off a 3-0 win over Howard, and has bigger bodies and better athletes then Penn's Chestnut-Street rivals. While Penn is clearly looking ahead towards next weekend, it hopes that tomorrow will be an opportunity to gain confidence and momentum and adjust to the loss of Jones before the Ivy Tournament begins. "I'm looking forward to these Homecoming matches," Glick said. "We have to get mentally set. We need to prove that we are still strong enough to win the Ivies."