Volleyball ready for 'Major' season

Penn returns five seniors Despite receiving a rather rude welcome to Philadelphia during which her license plates were stolen right on 33rd Street, new women's volleyball coach Kerry Major retained her infectious enthusiasm for the city, the University and the team she was called in to lead. She and the Quakers will start the season tonight away from home at her old stomping grounds at William and Mary in a 7 p.m. match. Major inherits a team that finished 11-14 last year and just 2-5 in the Ivy League -- good enough for sixth place overall. And while skeptics wonder whether simply switching coaches will accomplish anything, the players are already committed to the new coach's practices. "Major is more knowledgeable about the game [than former coach Margaret Feeney was]," junior co-captain and two year veteran K. C. Potter said. "This team was already really close knit since we couldn't always rely on the coach's leadership last year. But now the team as a whole has much more confidence." And why not. The Quakers lost only two players to graduation, setter Heather Tillet and outside hitter Jessica Luftman. The Quakers are returning five seniors including Sue Sabatino, last year's Ivy League leader in blocks-per-game with 1.52. Along with Sabatino, Karen Lewis also returns at middle blocker after racking up 74 blocks and 214 kills last season. One major question mark in the lineup comes at the setter position. With the loss of Tillet to graduation, open tryouts for the starting spot began. Junior Kristen Stine will contend for the job, as well as 5'10" sophomore Amy Schutte. Three freshman setters, however, came into the picture as well. Frosh Jodie Antypas and Marya Milton should compete for the starting spot, while Jamie Beller showed promise before injuring her ACL. Junior Angie Whittenburg, who played right side last year after transferring to Penn from the University of Texas, may switch to outside hitter this year. Whittenburg demonstrated a balanced game with 194 kills and 277 digs, good for second on the team. That move would add more punch to an already potent Quaker attack, which would also feature a stronger Potter. The California native posted 66 kills in limited playing time due to injury. "We definitely have some ball crushers out there," said Major. "We have a good attacking team, but we are by no means as good at passing and ball handling. And that's where you win games in volleyball." The defense and ball handling will be helped by the return of seniors Megan McKay and co-captain Katy Stock, who combined for 350 digs and 42 service aces last season. Major hopes to improve the teams passing game with time, and shift to make defense one of the teams strong points. But, as Major noted, volleyball is "a sport where everything depends on the team, which means there are no real stars." If there are any stars, however, whether they are three-time All-Ivy veterans like Sabatino or untested recruits with great club reputations, the time for them to shine will be in the coming few weeks. Major has made it clear that no starting spots are reserved, which means that everyone will have a chance to earn recognition when the Quakers travel to Williamsburg, Va., to face William & Mary and George Washington in the High IQ Classic this weekend. "Its all about how you respond to pressure," said Major. "When you are faced with quality opposition like we will be this weekend, are you mentally able to deal with that and perform in a game situation? That's the test this weekend." Putting the season into a more long range perspective, however, Major added that she was aiming for the team to peak around mid-November in time for the Ivy Championships. A strong finish to the season will more than make up for the new Penn coaches' tough break on 33rd Street.