Vball goes south for Fall Break

Despite the fact they boast a 9-4 overall record, are in second place in the Ivy League and have won six of their last eight matches, the Quaker volleyball team will be anything but relaxed as they travel to North Carolina this weekend. Coming off Tuesday's loss to Princeton, Penn is looking to work on a number of trouble spots that have cropped up. The Quakers will be working on their defense this weekend. More specifically, they will attempt to polish their blocking after they were constantly pounded by the Tiger outside hitters. They have been working on this area in practice and have been looking good, according to Penn coach Margaret Feeney. This presents an interesting situation, because earlier in the season it was commonplace to hear statements such as, "Defense is our forte," as sophomore Jennifer Law said. Now Penn is getting back to basics. This weekend presents the Quakers with another opportunity to face premier Division I programs. But Penn is not expecting similar results as the last time when they faced non-conference competition at an easy Rutgers Invitational. The Quakers will face Hofstra (11-7) and North Carolina in Chapel Hill this weekend, and will then travel to Richmond to battle Virginia Commonwealth Monday. And in all three matches, job No. 1 is to just play competitively. "Obviously North Carolina will be the strongest team we face," Feeney said. "I think it's important that we go down and we compete. We'll use the Princeton loss to our advantage, and if we play well against Hofstra and VCU, they will both be good matches." The Tar Heels (8-10) have tremendous ability in lieu of their sub-.500 record. They have already defeated powerful Atlantic Coast Conference foe Florida State, and even knocked off No. 12 ranked Duke, in Durham. "They're bigger, more athletic and hit harder [than Princeton]," Feeney said. "The reason this is so important is so we do gear up for the Ivy championships." VCU is 9-10, but has only lost once at home this year. The Quakers face the Rams at perhaps the most opportune time, as VCU is working on a five match losing streak. Despite this, the Rams boast three solid hitters in Shannon McMeekin, Jennifer Smith, and Cindy O'Brien. McMeekin leads the team in kills with 211, and Smith has been putting the ball home at a 26 percent success rate. Setter Suzanne Dawson averages over 10 assists per game lining up these three. Just because the Quakers are stepping out of the norm and are not participating in an Ivy weekend, it does not mean there is no motivation to play well. After a collapse Tuesday at the end of the match, Penn wants to avoid a total breakdown. Gaining momentum as they head into the stretch run of the conference is a must. "The team does have pressure -- a pressure to prove themselves," Feeney added. "I'm disappointed they didn't come back in the third game against Princeton. We need to put three good matches together this weekend."