Inconsistent Volleyball roughed up at Palestra

Penn volleyball coach Margaret Feeney had high hopes for her team as it headed into last weekend's Penn Invitational volleyball tournament. Feeney expected her team to be competitive from the start and challenge for the tourney championship. Instead, the Quakers looked every bit like a team that had practiced together for only nine days as they struggled to a 1-2 record and a third-place finish in the four-team field. "We were really inconsistent," senior captain Heather Glick said. "At times we were flat and we didn't communicate as well as we should have." The tournament got off to a promising start Friday as Penn faced a Rutgers team that was bent on avenging last year's defeat at the hands of the Quakers. Penn started off the match with a 15-13 win, due mainly to the play of Jennifer Law, who had several key service points. In the second game, the Scarlet Knights had a 13-12 lead and looked as if they would tie up the match. But a Jessica Luftman kill brought the Quakers even and a tip by Glick upped the score to 14-13. Law closed out the game with an ace as Penn took a commanding two-game lead. Rutgers appeared to lose focus and found itself down 5-0 at the start of the third game. The Scarlet Knights regrouped but fell short as Penn finished off the match with a 15-11 win. Rutgers stayed close throughout the match due mainly to the efforts of senior outside hitter Jen Prosek, whose play earned her a berth on the all-tournament team. Next up for the Quakers was a Saturday match against Temple. Feeney knew the Owls would pose a problem with their quick line-up. Her fears held true as Temple's combination of speed and an imposing front line swept the Owls past Penn on their way to a 2-1 weekend record and a second-place finish. Temple wasted no time in jumping out to a 7-1 lead in the first game, punctuated by several big kills by Sharia Bryant and Tamu Cooper. Penn fought back to make it closer, but fell 15-8. Temple took away any optimism the Quakers might have had, dominating them, 15-0, in the second game by blocking all of Penn's kill attempts. The Quakers fell again in the third game, 15-11, as the Owls' front line could not be stopped by the Penn blockers. "We thought blocking would be an area that we would have trouble in," Feeney said. "It is definitely a weak spot." The Quakers' troubles continued Saturday against eventual tournament champion Delaware. The Blue Hens sent a message from the start, rolling off 15 straight points to take the first game. Feeney responded by switching around her lineup and giving more playing time to freshmen Lindsey Anderson, Abigail Daniels, Karen Lewis and Jackie Morris. The switch worked initially, as Penn jumped out to a 5-0 lead before falling 15-12 in the second game. In the third game, the Quakers rallied to win, 15-8, as longtime Delaware coach Barbara Viera inserted several of her reserves into the match. With the starters back in the fourth game, the Blue Hens jumped out to a 9-1 lead on their way to a 15-8 win. Delaware was led by Carlyn Cangiano, who made the all-tournament team, and tournament most valuable player Karen Kunselman. Though the Quakers were disappointed by their finish, some bright spots did lend hope for the rest of the season. Several veterans on the team, including Law, Luftman and Glick, who made the all-tourney team, had solid weekends. But most important was the play of the freshmen. Megan McKay performed superbly in her role as a defensive specialist and saw extensive court time. Anderson, Daniels, Lewis and Morris all made pushes for more significant playing time in performing well in their college debuts. Feeney will have the luxury of using several lineups due to the Quakers' wealth of players. But Penn still needs to improve in several areas before its upcoming matches. "We need to work on our blocking," Glick said. "We also have to work on our mental toughness, our ability to go real strong for three or four games." For now, the Quakers have to find the right combination of players that will allow them to gain consistency in their matches. Feeney remains hopeful that things will fall into place quickly. "We have two very tough tournaments coming up at William and Mary and Georgetown," Feeney said. "But if we continue to improve, we may surprise some teams."