Volleyball | Pray, and win

After a disappointing home loss to Princeton to open their final Ivy League season, volleyball senior co-captains Kathryn Turner and Steph Gwin decided to take a more active leadership approach. Becoming more vocal and demanding in practice didn't produce immediate results, as the team went on to drop two of its next three matches.

Now, four weeks later, that episode is a distant memory. The team's lone seniors enter their last matches at the Palestra seeing the fruits of their labor - a seven-game winning streak jumpstarted by a dramatic five-set win over Yale in New Haven, Conn.

"That was a really nice way to have our players gain some confidence and get a chance to believe in themselves," acting coach Ryan Goodwin said.

The Quakers will look to come full circle on their dramatic mid-season turnaround at 7 p.m. tonight when the first-place Bulldogs (17-4, 11-1 Ivy) seek revenge for their lone Ivy League loss this season. Penn (12-11, 8-3) sits in third place in the Ivy League, with its title hopes hinged on tonight's matchup between second-place Princeton and Brown .

The Bears (12-12, 4-8), visit the Palestra at 4 p.m. tomorrow, but if they lose to the Tigers, Penn will be officially eliminated.

Despite a lack of control over their fate, the Quakers' captains oozed with enthusiasm at the team's recent success.

"If it comes with a title, obviously that would be my dream," Gwin said. "But if we go out winning, no matter what, even if we're out of title contention, we're gonna be happy."

With Senior Night coming up tomorrow, both captains said they will relish the additional family in attendance as well as camaraderie within the team. But it will take much more than good chemistry to procure that eighth straight win.

As a team, the Bulldogs rank in the top two in every statistical category. Meanwhile, their tandem of junior outside hitters Alexis Crusey and Cat Dailey rank second and fourth, respectively, in Ancient Eight kills.

But Goodwin identified senior setter Ally Mendenhall, ranked third in assists, as the offensive catalyst - not the dangerous outside duo.

"She's a veteran setter, and that combination makes them tough to stop," he said.

Nonetheless, the Quakers haven't made any major adjustments to prepare for Yale.

"We can't really make any more physical changes," Gwin said. "I think we're just focused on getting our minds right before the game."

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