Penn wins Marist Invitational with ease

The Penn volleyball team neededThe Penn volleyball team neededonly nine total games to dispose ofThe Penn volleyball team neededonly nine total games to dispose ofWagner, Navy and Marist. It took the Penn volleyball team just nine games, three matches and two days worth of momentum to win the Marist Invitational, dominating Wagner, Navy and host Marist along the way. On Friday night, with Penn's attack leader Abby Daniels out nursing a sore shoulder, it was freshman K.C. Potter who stepped into the starting lineup and recorded 10 kills, leading the Quakers to a 15-13, 15-6, 15-3 sweep of the Wagner Seahawks. On Saturday afternoon, Navy posed little more of a challenge, as Potter again sparked Penn to victory with 13 digs and 10 kills. Penn co-captains Karen Kinsherf and Jessica Luftman chipped in with 11 digs each as the Quakers avenged an early-season loss to the Midshipmen with a 15-4, 15-8, 15-12 sweep. In the Marist Invitational championship match on Saturday evening, it was sophomore Sue Sabatino's seven blocks that propelled Penn to a 15-8, 15-11, 15-10 win over host Red Foxes. The Quakers swept despite the roaring crowd of Marist parents, who spent their family weekend rooting on hosts. "We came in there and played with confidence," Potter said. While the nine-game weekend sweep was characterized by stellar team play and a timely contribution from Potter, Penn coach Margaret Feeney credited Luftman as the weekend's most valuable player. "Jessica did an outstanding job," Feeney said. "She is our primary serve receiver. She was the key to our success this weekend." Luftman adds more to the Quakers than just strong on-the-court-play. It was the intangibles that she provides to the team, such as work ethic and off-the-court demeanor, that may have done more to merit Feeney's praise than just her 38 digs and 25 kills. Wednesday's inexplicable loss to rival Princeton could have been the dagger in the hearts of the Quakers if it had not been for the leadership of Luftman and Kinsherf. "Everyone was pretty down," Potter said. "We wanted to start new after that. We were out there to have fun, but it wasn't fun to lose. We had to change something." Luftman and Kinsherf called for a team meeting on Thursday after practice to focus the team on the future. "We discussed our weaknesses within the team and what we need to work on together independently of the coaching staff," Luftman said. Some of the credit for Penn's weekend success, however, must be attributed to Feeney. For the second consecutive season, the coach rallied her troops to a weekend sweep after a loss to Princeton. Last season, it was Buffalo, Niagara and Canisius that fell victim to a rejuvenated Quakers offense. This time it was the Seahawks, Midshipmen and Red Foxes that chose the wrong weekend to cross Penn's path. Feeney stimulated the offense by reinserting Jen Law into the starting lineup at middle blocker for the first time this season. Law responded with 22 kills in nine games. And while no win this weekend could have been as satisfying as defeating the Tigers, sinking Navy in three straight games was nonetheless a thrill for Penn. "The Navy match was kind of a revenge factor," Feeney said. Ironically, it was Katy Stock -- who was unable to dig Navy's final point in the Penn Invitational -- who stepped off the bench as a key defensive specialist against the Midshipmen with six digs in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. While Navy setter Nikki St. Clair dominated the first go-around with 45 assists in 46 sets, this time Penn setter Heather Tillett had the upper-hand, connecting on 29 sets and adding six kills. "I think we had a more competitive attitude as a whole," Luftman said. "Winning became more of a priority." This weekend's Marist Invitational provided solid representation of the Quakers' resilience and improvement. And while Penn still feels the pain from Wednesday night's loss in Princeton, Penn can now only look ahead. "People are very satisfied with our performance this weekend," Luftman said. "We are not going to dwell on the past."

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