Volleyball looks to end five-game slide

Sometimes, it hurts to lose. But for one Penn volleyball star, it hurt just a little bit more. In a loss to Harvard on Saturday, Quakers sophomore return specialist Angie Whittenburg tore a stomach muscle. Going into tonight's game against La Salle (9-10) at 7 p.m. at the Palestra, the Quakers will have to overcome more than just a five-game losing streak. They are going to have to adjust their lineup to accommodate for the injured Whittenburg. According to Penn coach Margaret Feeney, the Quakers (5-10) will be making a few significant changes for tonight's game. Senior outside hitter Jessica Luftman will be moved to the right side to replace Whittenburg. In addition, sophomore K.C. Potter will be added to the starting lineup. "It was a very frustrating weekend for us," Feeney said, "so we've gone back to the drawing board. We've worked on a lot of different things -- one of those things being communication." This plan may be needed for more than just tonight's game. Whittenburg, who hopes to practice by Sunday night, is still unsure about the severity of her injury. Regardless, Penn still needs to find a way to win and recover from its recent slump. "The team needs to do the same thing whether I'm there or not," said Whittenburg. "We need to work on cutting down our errors and communicating better." The Quakers, who have not been playing consistently well, have truly lost any spark they might have had. Being in a slump has taken its toll on the team. After two Ivy League losses this weekend, the Quakers need to regain their spirit in order to gain momentum going into the last seven matches of the season. "We need to win," said Feeney. "We are at a high level of frustration, and just need to get a win under our belt. There are only seven matches until Ivies." To have any success, the Quakers are going to need to rely on excellent play by the entire team; however, the play of the two middle blockers (juniors Karen Lewis and Sue Sabatino), will be the key to the Quakers success. Both players have made their presence felt in the middle. The players and coaches feel the Quakers have had two days of great practice. They hope this will lead to some positive performances against La Salle. A win tonight will build momentum for the end of the season. "If we keep working hard," said Feeney, "we can make some changes and this team will enjoy some success here late in the season. We're working on correcting things we're doing incorrectly. Our focus is the second weekend in November."