Penn tops Fords in straight games

First meeting in 24 years proved to be a one-sided affair Once every 24 years will probably be more than enough for Haverford. In their season opener on Friday at the Palestra, Penn wrecked the Fords (2-5) in their first meeting in the 24-year history of Quakers volleyball. The tall Penn sophomores, Abby Daniels, Karen Lewis and Sue Sabatino, dominated the net through the entire match, which the Quakers won in three straight games, 15-4, 15-9, 15-4. "It's harder when you don't play a team that's totally at your level of competition," Penn setter Heather Tillett said. "It's almost harder to stay focused and play the game at your own level." The momentum of the match was established early in the first game. Penn was leading 5-4, when Sabatino got the serve. The few balls that Haverford managed to return were summarily rejected by middle blocker Lewis. The game ended after 10 straight serves, including five aces, by Sabatino, closing out the game at 15-4. Sabatino got her turn at the net in the next two games, connecting effortlessly with Tillett for a series of punishing quick hits. It was somewhat telling of the entire match that the one missed connection between Tillett and Sabatino was a set that sailed right past Sabatino and over the net for a point. When Haverford captain Alisa Bieber tried to mix things up by sneaking a few sets over the net, Sabatino was there to send them right back. "If we come out of here with any glaring big plus it would be Sue Sabatino," Quakers coach Margaret Feeney said. Even before the game, when the teams were running hitting drills, it was evident that the Fords hitters were not able to put much heat on the ball. Haverford's starting middle hitters were an average of full six inches shorter than Penn's 6-foot starters. Of course, height isn't everything, as one realizes after watching Penn's 5-foot-7 Jessica Luftman help the ball find wood. Luftman, as expected, had some good hits, including a smash in game two to end Haverford's one significant rally of the match and give the momentum back to Penn. A merciless dink by Luftman over the outstretched fingers of the Haverford blockers helped the Quakers end the second game at 15-9. One pleasant surprise for the Quakers was the performance of freshman K.C. Potter. Despite having practiced with the team for a mere two weeks, she seemed always to be in the right place at the right time. "[She] came in and did a really nice job -- very intense, very focused, got everything up on defense," Tillett said. Potter spiked a Tillet set to end the third game at 15-4. It is obvious from the first game of Penn's season that the Quakers have considerable depth both in talent and in drive. It will be interesting to see how the lineup settles over the next month prior to to start of Ivy League play. "Our philosophy is that there are no positions that are etched in stone," Feeney said. No doubt the tougher competition Penn faces in the upcoming weeks will help Feeney make the hard choices.