Penn volleyball had its seven-game win streak snapped by Yale in a five-set thriller at the Palestra Friday night. The loss ended the Quakers' hopes to claim a share of the Ivy League title.
Yale junior outside hitter Cat Dailey got the Bulldogs started with a kill on the first play of the match, and freshman middle blocker Taylor Cramm followed that up with a block of Penn kills leader Julia Swanson. The first two plays immediately set the tone for the match, as Dailey and Cramm led the match in kills and blocks, respectively. Dailey finished with 22 kills and a season-high 25 digs, while Cramm registered seven blocks including three solo.
After dropping the first set, 25-18, the Quakers battled back to win the second, 25-19, behind five kills by junior Elizabeth Semmens. Yale regrouped to win the third, 25-19, and threatened in the fourth with a 23-21 lead. A Yale ace that would have set up match point was overturned, sparking a 4-0 run that gave the Quakers a 25-23 win. With a hard-fought fifth set tied at 12, Dailey took over with three straight kills, giving Yale the set, 15-12.
The Quakers bounced back from the loss with a decisive sweep over Brown on Saturday afternoon. Penn senior Steph Gwin, playing in her last match at the Palestra, had her best game of her career with a personal best 10 kills on .409 hitting and four block assists.
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