Volleyball falls to unknown power St. Peter's in the Palestra

With vengeance reminiscent of their namesake Saint Peter Damian, the Peahens swooped down on the Penn volleyball team Saturday afternoon at the Palestra. And they did not let up until victory was assured. St. Peter's (17-5) not only won the match 3-0, but also took frequent advantage of a Penn team that seemed to briefly emerge from the depths of lethargy only to sink in again. Unlike Peter Damian, however, who was sent to Milan by Pope Nicholas II to rid the state of rampant incontinence and simony, the Peahens were only out to win a volleyball match. The Peahens' Bulgarian imports -- Iliana Valtchanova and Valentina Zaharieva -- did the most damage against the Quakers, combining for 35 kills and kill percentages of .486 and .412, respectively. Four players recorded double digit kills for St. Peter's, compared to none for the Red and Blue. The Peahens took the first game, 15-7, without much opposition. "We played wide offensively, and I think it was effective," St. Peter's coach Mikhail Sigalov said. "We hit hard and well, but that's not always enough. Today, we found enough gaps to hit into and we just executed better." The Peahens attempted 176 kills compared to Penn's 173, but the glaring difference is that St. Peter's had 20 more successful kills than the Quakers. The sheer difference in kills more than made up for the Peahens' higher error total because they had the bulk of the finishing opportunities and dictated the tempo changes. "We didn't have the intensity today," Penn coach Kerry Major said. "I tried to give a spark to the offense by playing some different people off the bench. [Sophomore setter] Amy Schutte gave us just that spark today. She also gives us more of a blocking presence at setter. But we were just too erratic and tended to lose concentration at times." It was certainly veteran leadership that kept the Quakers in the contest late and almost pulled out a win in the third game. Penn played even with St. Peter's for the majority of the second game, but was not consistent enough to hold serve and lost 15-12. Seniors Karen Lewis and Jackie Morris showed the most focus on the floor and countered the Peahens' strong attack with precise blocking and placement. It was in the third game, facing a 2-0 deficit, that the Quakers showed their potential. Battling back from a four point deficit to tie the game, the Quakers took a 13-12 lead behind strong middle blocking. Once Penn lost serve, however, the Peahens won three quick points with the help of strong serves to take the game, 15-13, and the match. Morris played with poise and in the third game, she used the Quakers' game plan of deep tipping against a shifting defense with some success. "We had to be very smart about where we were hitting because they have an unusual formation," Major said. "They keep a setter behind the block, so you have to tip it deep instead of placing it shallow. We had success when we did it right but that wasn't very often." Most importantly for the Quakers, however, Morris brought enthusiasm and tenacity onto the court and it visibly affected the play of her teammates when she was on the court. "I was pumped up for this game," Morris said. "We seemed dead out there, so I just wanted to go in with some feeling because that motivates the other players. "Their execution looked a lot better because we were slow. They threw a lot of junk over the net instead of a conventional three-hit possession. We were not ready for the ball to come over on the second or sometimes even the first hit." After a disappointing opening to the Ivy League season, Penn will need to be on point this weekend against Cornell and Columbia. Luckily for the Quakers, who seem to fare badly against opponents whose names have religious connotations, the Big Red or the Lions are up next -- Ivy opponents who may match better with the Quakers' style.