COLUMN: Musings on the Ivy V-ball tournament

From Michael Hasday's "Curve Ball," Fall '96 The Essentials: The tournament starts tomorrow at 1 p.m. and continues until the championship Sunday at 3 p.m. The games will be played at the fan-friendly Palestra and the fan-enemy Weightman Hall gym located deep within the offices of the Athletic Communications bureaucracy (This has been a subject of some controversy, which I'll touch on later). I suggest you watch the games in the Palestra unless Penn gets moved to Weightman Hall. The tournament is in double-elimination format, which means that you can lose once and still go on. The first game for Penn will be at 1 p.m. against Harvard at the Palestra. The Seedings: The seedings are based on regular-season records within the league. They are: 1. Cornell; 2. Princeton; 3. Yale; 4. Pennsylvania; 5. Harvard; 6. Dartmouth; 7. Brown; 8. Columbia. Background Info on Penn: Last year, Penn -- the No. 2 seed -- went to the finals against Princeton and lost 3-1. The Tigers, though, were aided by a home court that was packed with boisterous fans (hint). This year, with the graduation of all-Ivy outside hitter Hallie Ben-Horin, the Quakers were less consistent en route to a 4-3 record in league play and a 15-11 mark overall. Quakers to Watch: At 5-feet-4, senior setter Heather Glick is Penn's shortest player; she is also the Quakers' best. Look for Glick (9.22 assists per game, sixth in the league) to control the action on Penn's side of the court. Besides Glick, when you ask coach Margaret Feeney who the key players are for the Quakers, she lists almost everybody and says they all will get playing time. Statistically, the Quakers' two freshman aces -- Abby Daniels (3.02 kills per game, sixth in the league) and 6-2 Karen Lewis (1.12 blocks per game, second in the league) have been the most impressive. Weightman Hall -- the Controversy: According to Glick, the tournament is being split between Weightman Hall gym and the Palestra because the Athletic Department will not put up the dough to make two courts in the Palestra. Therefore, the tournament -- which comes to Penn once every eight years -- will be played in part at the decrepit Weightman Hall gym. Due to its low ceiling and lack of seating, Weightman Hall is neither conducive to volleyball nor fans. Thus, if you had to pick a gym for the Ivy League volleyball championship, Weightman Hall would not be a good choice. Said Glick: "I think the administration doesn't care enough about our program." Touche! Directions to the Weightman Hall gym: Go to Weightman Hall (it's next to Franklin Field). Go up the south Weightman Hall steps (nearer to Spruce Street), and now you're now in the lobby. Congratulations for making it so far. DO NOT TURN RIGHT! If you do, you'll end up in the Athletic Communications office (be sure to say hi to Shaun, though). O.K. now you go to the back, left corner of the lobby and then up, up, up the steps, and then turn left and go into the gym. If you get lost, listen for the sounds of volleyballs to guide your navigation. Penn's Outlook for Winning the Thing: Basically there are four teams with a shot at winning the tournament -- Cornell, Princeton, Yale, and Penn. I saw the Tigers in the finals last year and they looked damn good, but Feeney calls Cornell the favorite. Both the Big Red and Princeton swept the Quakers in three straight games when they played, so Penn has its work cut out. However, Feeney says she "honestly" believes that the Quakers can win (which is a refreshing change from the normal lies DP sports writers get), so you know Penn has a good shot. Odds on Winning the Tournament: To give the gambling-inclined who do not much care about volleyball and have no school spirit whatsoever a reason to attend, the following is a list of odds for each team to win the championship. However, these odds are strictly for entertainment purposes, and should not be used for illegal gaming activities: Cornell 7-3; Princeton 7-3; Penn 4-1; Yale 9-1; Harvard 19-1; Dartmouth 49-1; Brown 49-1; Columbia 99-1; Odds on finding your way to the Weightman Hall gym: 250-1.