Vball flexes muscle early

Quakers take 2nd at Invite Penn volleyball coach Margaret Feeney thought she would have a strong team -- after. After the Quakers practiced more and had match experience. After the team could adjust to life without a dominant spiker. And after the Penn Invitational this past weekend. But hey, who needs practice? It took the Quakers less than a minute to look like a cohesive group of grizzled veterans in mid-season form. When the dust settled, Penn had gone 2-1 in the tournament and captured second place. Providence swept its three matches, winning the Penn Invitational. Duquesne finished third and Navy fourth. "For this being our first tournament, our communication was really good and everyone played their position really well," said co-captain Hallie Ben-Horin, who was named to the all-tournament team. Beginning their season in textbook fashion, the Quakers stormed ahead of Duquesne. In a blink, it was 10-0 Penn, and then 15-1. After that ambush, the Quakers came back to earth, but still cruised to an season-opening victory, 15-1, 15-11, 6-15, 15-8. "I think we even surprised ourselves," junior Nida Germanas said. "It was great. The first match gave us adrenaline and excitement. Playing-wise we were together. Our service game and defense were awesome." Things reversed themselves quickly against undefeated Providence, which boasts six players at six-feet tall. Penn went quietly, losing 15-5, 15-8, 15-6. "They're big, therefore they can cover a lot of the court," Feeney said. "It's just really hard when you have a 5-5 hitter going up against two 6-0 blockers." The Quakers sized up better against Navy, a smaller squad with its tallest player standing at just 5-11. However, Penn struggled at times until it finally put away from the Midshipmen in a five-game marathon, 8-15, 15-13, 15-12, 10-15, 15-10. Along with Ben-Horin, junior co-captain Heather Glick was named to the all-tournament team. Glick showed she is the glue of the team, continually making spectacular sets look routine. Penn's main problem this weekend, especially against Providence, was that it often couldn't deliver the kill. "In order to be continuously successful, we have to be stronger offensively," Feeney said. Due to Ivy League restrictions, the Quakers had less than two weeks of practice before the invitational while the other three teams had already played five games -- going a combined 10-4. "For them to come out and beat a team, 15-1, in the first game of your new season, was really impressive," Feeney said after the opening win. "We came out right away and we were so aggressive. I told the players they surprised me a little bit."