Volleyball opens season at Colgate

Penn's volleyball players may wonder why the teams they are facing are already match tough and why it seems that their opponents have had two extra weeks to practice. The solution is simple: Ivy League rules prohibit two-a-day practice sessions before August 25. Everyone else starts practicing on August 10. So the Quakers (11-16, 2-5 Ivy in 1998) will have their work cut out for them when they face Albany, Colgate, La Salle and Siena tonight and tomorrow afternoon. "We should lose this weekend, on paper," second-year Penn coach Kerry Major said. "There's just no way that we can compensate for that practice time and that game experience, so that's something that we have to beat right away. I honestly think that the tough start [last year] is because of the Ivy League rules." Opponents had the same head start on the Quakers last season, as the Red and Blue started the year at 1-5; however, they followed that stretch with four consecutive wins. Last season, though, Penn had the additional task of adjusting to the style of a new head coach. Now, the Quakers are prepared for their opening matches. "[The other teams] are going to come out and get points right away, boom-boom-boom," Major said. "But if we stick it out and beat them down defensively, that's how we will beat these teams -- we can wear them down." The Quakers will almost certainly have an advantage in that respect. Penn's roster includes seven freshmen -- an eighth, Lauren Silbert, is recovering from an illness and will not play. All of the active freshmen are expected to see playing time this weekend. "The freshman class comes in with a lot of talent," Penn senior Karin Witte said. "The other teams have been practicing for longer and have matches under their belt, but we're very strong, and maybe since they've been in classes for a week and a half, they're not as strong." The Quakers' two-a-day practice schedule will be an advantage this weekend, as they must play four matches in less than 30 hours. Penn's opponents, meanwhile, do have plenty to worry about physically coming into the Colgate Tournament. "Our biggest problem right now is that we're beat up with injuries," La Salle coach Jason Klotkowski said. "We had some real random things happen before the season, and now we just have some injuries from wear and tear -- strained knees and stress fractures." This weekend will be the first of two shots that Penn will have at La Salle, the one team that Major wanted a shot at again this season more than any other. "I know that these girls can play at a better level than we played La Salle last year," Major said. "We're very familiar with them." Last season's 3-1 loss was the only time that Penn has ever lost to the Explorers in their 19 meetings. The Quakers have never fallen to Colgate in their five matches but Penn expects a competitive test when it faces the Red Raiders in tonight's second game. "We went five games with Colgate, and we won," Major said. "They're very much like us so it should be a good match, but they've had two more weeks, so they're going to be tougher." Albany and Siena are the two weaker teams in the tournament, and neither Major nor Klotkowski had seen either team play. The Quakers will, however, be able to see both the Danes and the Saints before facing off against either one. "I hope that we get some experience, get on the court and get a feel for how our team is going to work together," Penn senior Kristel Weaver said. "And hopefully, we'll win a lot, too."