Volleyball to face winless Explorers at the Palestra

At 0-7, the Explorers look like easy prey for Penn,At 0-7, the Explorers look like easy prey for Penn,but Feeney is wary of La Salle's match experience Seeking to overcome the inconsistency that plagued the team last year, the Penn volleyball team (1-0) will attempt to defeat the winless La Salle Explorers (0-7) tonight at 7 p.m. at the Palestra. Although it looks like an easy win for the Quakers, Penn was plagued by inconsistency last season -- so the contest may be closer than one may think. The Quakers opened up strong last Friday with a straight-game victory over Haverford. Now, Penn is hungry for another victim. "Friday's match wasn't as much competition as we hoped for," Quakers senior right-side hitter Karen Kinsherf said. "This feels more like it's our first real game." La Salle comes to the Palestra after two frustrating weeks of play. Last weekend, at the Towson State Invitational, the Explorers lost to three teams, including Columbia, which was winless going into the match. In spite of the Explorers' poor record, there is reason for caution by the Quakers. Many of La Salle's matches have been close -- it is a team that does not give up easily. With almost all the playing time going to only seven players, the Explorers are grizzled veterans by comparison to their Penn counterparts. "I think they've been out playing a higher level of competition than Division III Haverford," Penn coach Margaret Feeney said. "What frightens me is a little bit is their match experience." La Salle's blockers present much more of a threat to Penn's hitters than the grounded Haverford defense. Blocking has kept the Explorers competitive and is the lone statistic in which the team leads its opponents. Feeney is optimistic, however, that the sheer number of dangerous hitters on her squad will keep the opposing blockers guessing. In Friday's game against Haverford, there were four Penn players with at least five kills and 10 attempts. Feeney will again look for sophomores Sue Sabatino and Karen Lewis to lead the attack in the middle and for co-captains Kinsherf and junior Jessica Luftman to hit from the sides. Junior setter Heather Tillett is also adjusting well to her new role this season, replacing the graduated all-Ivy setter Heather Glick. "Heather Tillett is moving the ball around, really evenly distributing the ball," Feeney said. "The other teams are not able to predict exactly where we're going." The Explorers present the perfect opportunity for the Quakers to prove to themselves that they are not the inconsistent team of last season. Although hardly a volleyball powerhouse, La Salle should provide Penn with a tighter contest than Haverford did last Friday.