Hoping for revenge against the Tigers for a 3-1 defeat at the Palestra earlier in the season, the Penn volleyball team looked to get one back on Princeton's home court last night.
In an electrifying and competitive match, the Quakers lost to the Tigers in three highly contested games (28-30, 25-30, 29-31).
Coming off a 1-1 New York road trip, the Quakers (11-14, 6-8 Ivy) fought to finish their season with a .500 league record against a strong squad in Princeton (21-3, 11-3). A win could have also secured a fourth-place Ivy finish for the Red and Blue in a rebuilding season.
In the last game of the season for both teams, Princeton had a huge cheering section behind it.
Penn coach Kerry Carr felt the home court advantage was key, something the Quakers have also benefited from in the past.
"Princeton came out really strong, and when they get on a roll, they're really hard to stop," Carr said. "Even when we had the momentum in the third game, tied at 29, their crowd got back into it, and that home court advantage really made a difference."
Despite a loss in the books, the Quakers did show that they have improved this season.
"We out-blocked them, 11-7, and we shut down some of their better hitters," Carr said. "We improved so much from the first game to the last in the Ivy season - it's like night and day. I think Princeton was surprised, too."
She said she was proud of her team's marked changes, especially against a top team like Princeton.
But, in the end, the Tigers were just too strong, and the Quakers weren't able to dig their offensive hits.
Princeton finished second in the Ivies behind Cornell, which clinched last weekend by sweeping the Tigers.
In the last game of their careers, seniors Liz Hurst and Meredith Damore made big contributions.
"Meredith came out on fire defensively, getting lots of digs, and Liz passed great tonight, which allowed us to run a more complex offense right away," Carr said. "We'll miss their passing, their defensive style and their leadership.
"They are the emotional leaders of this team."
Co-captain Hurst felt upset with the loss, but was satisfied with her team's overall advancements, citing consistency as the biggest change.
"I'm definitely disappointed that we lost, but we improved so much over the season, and I've enjoyed playing with all the girls so much," Hurst said.
Hurst led the team with 14 digs and a .923 serving percentage.
Junior Laura Black had 16 kills and nine digs. In place of starting setter Linda Zhang, who was hurt on the road trip, sophomore Kira Campbell stepped up with 34 assists to contribute to Penn's great passing.
