Volleyball | Eye on the Tigers for the cream of the fight

After a loss to Princeton spoiled her first ever Ivy League match, sophomore Megan Tryon sensed what the Penn-Princeton rivalry was all about.

"It's a pride thing," she said. "I'm still really bitter about that and I definitely want to avenge that loss."

In two chances to get the revenge she so desperately covets, the Quakers came up short. In fact, only seniors Kathryn Turner and Stephanie Gwin know the sweet taste of a victory over Princeton.

The rest of the squad will get a chance to share the feeling when the rivalry continues tonight at 7 p.m. in Princeton, N.J.

Penn (13-12, 9-4 Ivy) has come a long way since an embarrassing sweep by the Tigers to open this year's Ivy slate.

"Now that we've played everyone else twice, we're a whole different team," Tryon said. "They kind of blew us out last time, but I have a feeling the tables may have turned."

That sentiment stems from Penn's seven-match winning streak that revitalized the club after a demoralizing 1-3 start to the conference season.

Princeton (17-4, 11-2) was riding a streak of its own - eight wins in a row - before Yale came down last weekend and humbled both squads. Now the only streak on the line this weekend is Princeton's five straight wins over Penn.

To reverse that trend, the Quakers will have to find an answer for reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Parker Henritze, who paces Princeton's top-ranked offense with 3.4 kills per set. She also leads the Ancient Eight with 0.44 aces per frame, over one-tenth better than the next best server.

Henritze owes much of her success to senior Bailey Robinson, the conference's top setter who led the nation in assists last season.

The Quakers' improved blocking should help neutralize the Robinson-Henritze combo. The Red and Blue managed just three blocks the last time the teams met, but have averaged seven over their past five matches.

In contrast, Princeton brings up the rear in Ivy League blocking with just 1.34 per set, which should aid Penn sophomore Julia Swanson. She's ranked fourth in the conference in kills.

But the Quakers are not thinking about specific matchups for this game. With only two practices before the contest as opposed to the usual four, the rivalry is on the front of everyone's mind.

"That's something very unique to the Ivy League, that there are such storied, bitter rivalries," acting coach Ryan Goodwin said. "You don't get that in every conference."

Even with both teams' title hopes dashed, the rivalry makes this match packed with pressure. For Tryon, a season-ending victory would validate the winning streak and add an exclamation point to the season.

But Goodwin doesn't care about validation.

"It's a win over Princeton," he said. "It speaks for itself."

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