Volleyball hosts perfect Wildcats

Penn volleyball coach Margaret Feeney said her team hates losing more than it likes winning. Villanova does not even know what losing is. In fact, the Wildcats do not even know what a close match is. That is tonight's challenge for Penn, to make the undefeated Wildcats know what defeat feels like. To make them sweat. The two teams compete tonight at 7 p.m. at the Palestra. In its nine-match undefeated run, Villanova has been extended to four games only twice, and has won 27 of 29 games. The Wildcats swept Ivy foe Princeton, 3-0. "I don't think it matters, especially in volleyball where anything can happen," Penn co-captain Heather Glick said. "I don't think they played any strong teams." "We've beaten Princeton the last three years," Feeney said. "We've beaten them six, seven times. We don't use Princeton as a gauge." Part of the team's confidence can be attributed to early success, which the coach admitted is somewhat surprising. Feeney felt it would take longer to adjust to not having the star spiker the Quakers (5-1) have had in the past. Currently, the Quakers lay claim to a four-match winning streak which includes last weekend's Rutgers Invitational. "I think we're still improving," Feeney said. "I don't know how much momentum we'll carry into this match. As a coach, you hope you have the momentum to carry you in the match." The Quakers lone defeat came against Providence in their second match of the season. Villanova has the same weapon the Friars used so effectively in their straight-set dissection of Penn -- size, and a lot of of it. "We want to serve them very aggressively, so they're not able to set up their offense." Feeney said. "We're going to need to block well because they are bigger, and we hope we're going to score some points off our aggressive defense." Villanova's vaunted attack is led by Stacy Evans and freshman phenom Marisa Davidson, who are first and second in kills for the Wildcats, respectively. An interesting subplot: Davidson was previously recruited by Penn before eventually choosing Villanova. Junior Nida Germanas said the key is "staying confident" despite the opponent's record. "In order to play like your going to beat a team, you have to believe your going to beat a team," Germanas said.