Volleyball hosts three tough foes

When it came time to choose a school to attend, Heather Glick narrowed it down to two possibilities: Yale and Penn. Penn volleyball coach Margaret Feeney thought she had lost one of her top recruits when Glick walked up to her at a reception for all Long Island students admitted to Penn and handed her a napkin with the Yale logo on it. Fortunately for Feeney and the Penn volleyball team, Glick was just playing a joke on her future coach. Glick will the Quakers into three matches this weekend. Penn has Palestra matches with fellow Ivy foes Harvard (7 p.m. tonight) and Dartmouth (4 p.m. tomorrow) , and a match against Hartford (11 a.m. tomorrow) sandwiched in between. Glick had an immediate impact on the team from her first match as a freshman. She quickly took control in the role of lone setter in Penn's 5-1 attack. Improving each year, Glick went from Ivy League Rookie of the year to second-team all-Ivy as a sophomore and first-team all-Ivy as a junior. Feeney believes Glick is the most knowledgeable player she has ever had. She has the ability to make split-second decisions and is always aware of where everyone else is on the court. Glick is the rare player that elevates those around her. "I've often said that Heather sets the ball so well that my mother could come in from the stands and hit the ball," Feeney said. This year Glick has assumed the role of undisputed team leader as well. Glick has helped the team's eight freshmen become adjusted to the college game. Despite being a captain last year, Glick believes this year is different. "I had the confidence to take control this year," Glick said. This season Glick has been the team's best and most consistent performer. She was named the MVP of the High IQ Classic, in addition to making the Penn Invitational and Georgetown Invitational all-tournament teams. Her play has been especially important on a team whose main problem this year has been its lack of consistency. At times this year, Glick has found herself surrounded by three freshmen on the court. "I definitely need to be consistent," Glick said. "I establish the rhythm for the team. Everyone reacts around me." Glick has averaged 9.8 assists per game this year as she nears the Penn all-time assist record. At last count, Glick was 557 assists short of Christine Dinivigan's total of 3,494. But Glick does not want the record to be a big focus of her season, especially since she does not have much control over it. "The way they determine assists, it depends on if someone hits the ball or not," Glick said. Glick prefers to focus on team goals this season as she tries to lead Penn to the Ivy title it has just missed out on the past two years. "It's going to take a lot of hard work," Glick said. "We need to play all the Ivy teams and see what needs to be done to beat them in the Ivy tournament." If Penn wins the title in November, there is little doubt that Glick will lead the way.