In a weekend filled with Ivy League volleyball, pink reigned supreme.
With pink jerseys across the board to support Dig Pink!, Penn split its weekend matches against Yale and Brown.
For the team and coach Kerry Carr — a breast cancer survivor — the weekend was about much more than just volleyball.
“Personally, it means everything,” Carr said of the event. “It is a unique foundation, and it isn’t like ... a huge conglomeration. It is a really small charity that is based on doing research for curing breast cancer at the late stages, stage IV, and giving help to those ladies who are diagnosed late.
“It obviously very much ties in with the volleyball world with all the volleyball teams and the charities that they give to.”
The Quakers (5-11, 2-3 Ivy), who were hoping to build off of their win against Cornell last weekend, were met on Friday by the three-time defending Ivy League champion Bulldogs, who were able to defeat the Red and Blue in three sets (25-16, 27-25, 25-17).
As one sided as the first set was, Penn found a way to rally in the second. Yale (8-6, 4-1) found itself tied with the Quakers 15 times in the set, and the lead changed hands on five occasions.
The Red and Blue had Yale on the ropes in the second set, going up, 24-23. However the Bulldogs gathered themselves and were able to squeeze out a 27-25 victory.
After a set that depleted the Quakers physically and mentally, Penn appeared drained as it entered what would be the third and final set. The Elis, as they did in the first, built a solid lead that they would not let go of.
Saturday went differently for Penn as it faced Brown (6-11, 1-4), which has struggled in its Ivy League slate so far.
This match saw the Red and Blue go up two sets on their visitors. However, it wouldn’t be until the fifth that Penn would be able to claim victory (26-24, 25-22, 24-26, 16-25, 15-11).
Junior captain Alexis Genske led the Red and Blue’s attack, tallying 14 kills while also compiling 20 digs. Senior Kendall Turner finished the night hitting .435 with 12 kills, while junior Michellie McDonald-O’Brien tallied 11 kills and a .417 hitting percentage.
After coming off of a career night in which she set her personal record for digs, freshman Emmy Friedler did not appear satisfied as she racked up a new individual match record with 34 digs.
The win capped off an exciting weekend for the Quakers as the team supported breast cancer research as part of its Dig Pink! weekend.
Penn will find itself on the road for its next five games as it travels up and down the coast facing Ivy League foes.
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