By hannah gerstenblatt
Contributing Writer
dpsports@dailypennsylvanian.com
Penn volleyball captain Anna Shlimak leaves little to the imagination: "If we play our game well, then the other team I don't think has a chance against us," she said.
Cornell (4-6, 1-0 Ivy) visits the Palestra at 7 p.m. tonight, while Columbia (3-9, 0-1) enters to take on the Quakers (6-6, 0-1) for a 4 p.m. game tomorrow.
Penn is coming off of a well-played, close loss in five games to Princeton last Saturday in its Ivy opener, but the loss hasn't diminished team morale.
"Last weekend doesn't put a damper on," Shlimak said. "It was a tough game and we fought and the cards just didn't go our way, but we're really looking forward to this weekend."
Cornell and Columbia faced off against each other last Sunday in a match that opened the Ivy League season for both teams. Cornell won, 3-1.
The Big Red will bring a younger and less experienced version of their 2006 Ivy League champion team into the Palestra.
"They are a good, but definitely beatable, team for us," freshman libero Madison Wojciechowski said. "I don't think they are as strong as they were last year, but we aren't going to underestimate their abilities."
Coach Kerry Carr believes the Quakers will have success if they turn on their powerful offense like they did last week at Princeton.
Carr calls Columbia a "very, very scrappy team. They're actually a team that can allow you to sleep a little bit in the beginning and then they take advantage of you."
Thus, she emphasized the need for the Quakers to stay consistent and on their toes throughout the entire match.
"It's not going to be exactly traditional," she said.
The Quakers hope to continue the success they had against Columbia last year, against whom they went 2-0.
Both Cornell and Columbia will meet a hostile visitors' environment. The Red and Blue will be backed by the many fans who waited in "The Line" in the Palestra this weekend.
"We're really, really excited about that," Shlimak said. "We love The Line."
Both coach Carr and Shlimak believe that passing will be the key to Quaker victories this weekend. Relying also on tough serves and a defense anchored by Wojciechowski, the team is poised and - they hope - ready to take on the two Ivy League opponents.
