Volleyball splits non-Ivy weekend games

In its last two games before the start of the Ivy League season, the Penn volleyball team went 1-1 over the weekend against Delaware and Colgate. The Quakers opened Saturday night's match against Delaware at the Palestra in dominating fashion, jumping to a 12-4 lead in the first game before eventually winning that game, 15-11. Penn (4-4), though, was not able to carry this momentum into the rest of the match, as it dropped the next three games to the Blue Hens. "We just didn't adapt as well in the second, third and fourth games," Quakers coach Margaret Feeney said. Despite the loss, Feeney was not disappointed in the play of her team. "Although we were down 10-1 at one point, we never rolled over and died," she said. Feeney acknowledged the success of servers Angie Whittenburg and Megan McKay, each of whom finished with two service aces. A major focus of this weekend was to finalize a lineup for Wednesday's match against Princeton. Feeney did establish one she believes will be most effective. This lineup, consisting of a rotation of eight key players, was used in Sunday's match against Colgate. The Red Raiders, who Penn did not face last year, was coming off a win against Delaware (7-7) only a few hours before the Penn match. In the first game, the Red Raiders (7-7) jumped to a 7-1 lead over the Quakers. Penn, though, was able to come back to win that first game, 15-9. "We came out with a lot of enthusiasm," said Penn junior Karen Lewis, who finished with 20 kills in her first full match after an injury. "Coming back after being down 7-1 really showed our team's strength." After defeating Colgate in the second game, Penn was ready to finish off the Red Raiders as they led 14-8 in the third game. The Quakers, however, were unable to get the last point needed to win the match. Colgate came back to take that third game, 16-14. "We were unfocused at times in that game, but we got our heads back in it for the fourth game," said Quakers junior middle blocker Sue Sabatino, who finished with 11 kills and 10 total blocks for the match. In that fourth game, Penn never gave Colgate a chance, as they earned a 15-4 victory. The Quakers must now concentrate on Wednesday's Ivy opener against Princeton. "This is what it's all about -- Penn versus Princeton," Feeney said. Sabatino reflected the enthusiasm of her coach, saying, "I am so ready for the Princeton match, I wish it was tomorrow."