After taking a 2-1 lead last night at the Palestra, Bucknell succumbed to an aggressive Penn volleyball team and the taunts of a trio of students calling themselves "Superfans," as the Quakers won in five games.
Cara Thomason led the Quakers (4-3) with 16 kills and Michelle Kauffman tied a season-high with 15 kills, including four in the decisive fifth game.
The game was marked by Bison complaints about the three Penn groupies in the first row. Despite calls for their ejection by Bucknell parents, the trio remained until the end of the match.
The Quakers came into last night attempting to improve their passing, serving and defense. Penn was inconsistent, but improved enough to win.
"When we passed and served and played good defense, we won," Penn coach Kerry Major Carr said. "When we didn't do those things, we didn't. And it was very apparent. The games we dominated, we served and passed great and played awesome defense."
The players themselves were relieved after a hard-fought win, but acknowledged that they are still in the process of solving all of their problems.
"The passing could have been better," senior Meghan Schloat said. "We still need to work on that primarily. But compared to last weekend, our blocking was awesome, and because of that our defense fell right into place."
The Quakers came out strong against a sluggish Bucknell (4-8) squad, using an early lead to win the first game, 30-22. But the Bison settled down in the second and began to stifle Penn's offense in a 30-22 win in game two. Carr credited Bucknell for the turnaround.
"They had a very good scouting report," Carr said. "And they're an incredible defensive team. I underestimated them."
The Penn offensive struggles continued in the third game. Behind by a score of 29-20, the Quakers buckled down and recorded four straight points before succumbing, 30-24.
"Even though it was basically hopeless, my team said, 'Forget that, we're gonna play good ball now,'" Carr said. "And the momentum carried over."
That solid play carried over to a crucial fourth-game win, as Penn cruised to a 30-23 victory, led by Thomason's six kills and Meredith Damore's seven digs.
Entering game five, the Quakers had all the momentum and would not let it slip away. They took the game, 15-8, and subsequently the match. Kauffman's four emphatic kills provided the difference.
"Earlier in the game, we were just going through the motions," Kauffman said. "The last two games we really stepped up, hit the volleyball, had some fun and were really aggressive."
Also having some fun last night were Penn's "Superfans," whose over-exuberance began to fluster the Bison in game four. This led to a red card being issued to the Bucknell bench late in that game.
"I don't think it says much for your institution," Bucknell coach Cindy Opalski said. "I think even some of [Penn's] hometown people were a little embarrassed."
While the Bison thought the trio's display was out of line, the Quakers attributed it to being part of competition and going on the road.
"When we go on the road, we expect to deal with rowdy fans," Schloat said. "You have to learn to tune them out, and I think they could have done a better job of that tonight."
