Reserves lead V-ball to win

Down by two games and facing a certain loss, Penn came back to win. The situation was grim. After quickly dropping its first two games to Hofstra, the Penn volleyball team found itself two points away from a match-ending third loss, and the Flying Dutchmen (15-17) had the serve. At stake was the Quakers' seven-game winning streak -- their unbeaten "second season". About six weeks ago Penn coach Margaret Feeney said that her goal was to teach her team that, "You have to hate to lose more than you like to win." Facing defeat in their last home game of the season, the Quakers appeared to have mastered the lesson. Only two points away from defeat, the Quakers successfully received the Hofstra serve. Penn setter Heather Tillett connected with reserve outside hitter Jackie Morris for the big kill. Morris then moved into the server's position and racked up a quick service ace. Hofstra handled her second serve and pounded the ball back at Penn. But Morris was there, and her quick defense culminated in a monster hit by fellow sophomore Abby Daniels. The game ended at 15-13 after four more serves from Morris. Having staved off defeat once, the Quakers found themselves in the same situation in game four. Down 10-13, Penn found its big plays from Daniels and 6-foot-2 sophomore middle blocker Karen Lewis, who iced the eventual win with a stuff block. Lewis was called upon frequently in the game to counteract the size of the Hofstra front line. One of the Dutchmen, Pam Zens, was listed at 6-foot-3, but appeared to the Quakers to be even taller. "I think they're probably the tallest, biggest team we've ever faced," sophomore Katy Stock said. "For our hitters to be up against blockers that big is really good practice for Ivies." For the first two games, Penn could not figure out how to get by the big Hofstra block. With cunning veteran outside hitter Jessica Luftman sidelined with an ear infection, Feeney looked to her bench for offense and found Morris. "I put her in because she has a nice fast arm swing, and I felt that they had a big block but they were slow in closing the block," Feeney said. "We needed a hitter that could get to the ball fast and swing fast, and that's Jackie's forte. It was wonderful that we had Jackie Morris to step in and play for us." With Morris pulling the Hofstra defense in a new direction, the Dutchmen block opened up for other players as well. Daniels led the Quakers with 21 huge kills. Senior middle hitter Jen Law stuffed another 16 down the middle while contributing 12 digs and four blocks. Tillett made judicious use of her position as setter and added five kills without error. Stock and co-captain Karen Kinsherf anchored the defense with 13 and 14 digs, respectively. With the momentum on its side, Penn started game five with a 3-0 run behind the serving of Stock. But the game started to slip away from Penn as Hofstra stepped up its intensity. Again, the Quakers found themselves down 10-13, this time with Stock in the server's position. It was Stock, a reserve like Morris, who got the job done. In her five serves, Hofstra managed to get the ball back over the net only a couple of times. Penn closed out the game at 15-13 and their regular season at 18-8 (4-3 Ivy League). The highlight of the match was the play of Penn's backups. Feeney substituted liberally throughout the last three games, emphasizing each player's strengths. A total of 11 players contributed to the win. "You know [the Hofstra] coach must have been sitting there going, 'Who's this kid? What's this kid? How deep are they down there?' " said Feeney. The Quakers appeared eager for the challenge, entering games at times when the odds were against them and raising the level of Penn's game. "I think it just as hard being on the bench as it is playing," Morris said. "Any time the coach says to go in, you have to be ready to go in and not only be warmed up to play at the level that everyone else is playing, but you have to go in and make a difference." Penn's winning streak now stands at eight matches, including two in straight games versus Army and Navy on Saturday in Annapolis, Md. As the Quakers prepare for the Ivy Tournament next weekend, it appears that they have finally begun to realize the potential of the depth of talent that they possess. With the grit that was displayed yesterday, it is at least clear now that they are a team that hates to lose.