Despite being sidelined in the hospital recovering from a mastectomy, Penn volleyball coach Kerry Carr wants her team to focus on winning, not her fight against cancer.
"She didn't want us to be distracted," sophomore Julia Swanson said.
And so, the Quakers headed into their first weekend without Carr as coach hoping to pick up their second conference win of the season. Facing Brown and Yale - the latter of which was undefeated in the Ivies and had won its last seven matches - was no easy task. But in the end, Penn managed a split, losing to Brown, 3-2, and beating Yale by the same score.
Behind Swanson, juniors Anne Magnuson and Elizabeth Semmens and senior Kathryn Turner, who each recorded at least 10 kills, the Quakers had no problem mustering offense. However, they couldn't make the stops they needed and were easily overcome by the Bears' Megan Toman and Brianna Williamson, who combined for 36 kills and just three errors.
After splitting the first two sets, Brown took the third, effectively putting the Quakers on life support. But Penn fought back in the fourth, winning, 25-17, to force a fifth set.
It looked as if the momentum had firmly moved in Penn's favor as it took an early 3-1 lead, but the Bears were able to come back from behind thanks to three key attack errors by the Quakers.
Frustrated after Friday's defeat, Swanson said the Red and Blue approached Saturday's game "ready to leave it all out on the court." They wanted to head home with a win - and win they did, upsetting the Bulldogs, 3-2.
Interim Penn head coach Ryan Goodwin said the change in the team's attitude in Saturday's match was evident.
"There was a tangible feeling," he said. "They were a lot more focused."
Swanson and Semmens again posted strong offensive performances, but this time, the defense pulled its weight and pushed Penn over the top. Sophomore libero Madison Wojciechowski had 25 digs while setter Megan Tryon completed a double-double, with 14 digs and 53 assists.
The Quakers will next face Dartmouth at the Palestra this Friday in a match that carries more significance than just the possibility of an Ivy League win. That night they will be sponsoring a Dig Pink! event to raise breast cancer awareness, something undoubtedly close to their hearts.
