V-Ball challenges true student athletes in Va.

The world of collegiate sports has been ravaged by corruption and numerous problems in the past few months. It has been under a lot of scrutiny for what has gone wrong as of late, but rarely has the good been glamorized. This is where the Penn volleyball team steps in. Today and tomorrow, the Quakers are in Williamsburg, Va., participating in the High I.Q. Volleyball Classic tournament. What makes this tournament special is the invitational only features teams that come from strong academic backgrounds. William and Mary is playing host to the tournament, which boasts Furman, St. Mary's (Calif.) as well as the Red and Blue. "The tournament originated about 10 years ago," William and Mary coach Debbie Hill said. "It came from a frustrating year when we really didn't do very well. But I noticed that the kids on the other teams did not have the same academic quality as we did. So we wanted to create a tournament that would show off what being a student-athlete was all about. "Since then, I've found that students at most schools do not have the same time demands and academic interests that we do. So now we try to invite teams from esteemed institutions." Since the tournament's inception, the Tribe has made an effort to attract schools such as Notre Dame, Rice and Davidson. And it makes sure there is always one representative from the Ivy League. Last year, the tournament even got a write up in the national publication, Volleyball Magazine, simply because of its unusual nature. "We just decided we really wanted to compete against schools like Penn," Hill said. "We wanted to play teams who have people of such high academic caliber, people most schools wouldn't even dream of getting." When the Quakers take the hardwood today, they will first have to face St. Mary's. The Gaels are the favorite of the tournament because they feature a very strong group of hitters. Penn junior Jen Law and sophomore Jessica Luftman will have to step up their level of play at the net in order to keep the Quakers close. Penn will also rely on the experience of senior setter Heather Glick. She will be called on to mix up the looks on offense to keep the stronger St. Mary's off balance. Saturday, Penn will first play host William and Mary, and will wind up the tournament against the Furman Paladins. The Tribe is still looking for its first win of the year, having gone a woeful 0-6 so far. After graduating half of its starters from a year ago, William & Mary is looking to feed off of hitters Julie Amberg and Amy McGuire, "the two most consistent performers of the team," according to Hill. Like the Quakers, William and Mary is still trying to find a lineup which will aptly utilize its numerous freshmen. In an era when college sports has fallen under criticism because it has become much more of a business than a way of giving students a safe arena where they can both work and play, it is refreshing that a tournament has been created that stands for what is right about college sports.