What’s the difference between 6-foot-0 and 6-foot-1? When it comes to height, not much — but in volleyball, “6-1” now takes on a new meaning, marking Cornell’s first loss of the season.
Penn volleyball came into the weekend 1-4 in Ivy play and ended it with two crucial 3-0 victories against Columbia (2-15, 0-7 Ivy) and Cornell (11-6, 6-1).
“We’ve been going through some ups and downs in practice the last couple of weekends, but tonight was all about playing for each other. When we face adversity, we just need to go back to the basics,” sophomore setter Emery Moore said.
In an alumni-filled crowd at the Palestra, the basics proved to be more than enough for Penn (9-8, 3-4) to come out on top. In the first set against Columbia, the team steamrolled its way to an early 9-1 lead, only losing one point on a service error. The Quakers’ hitting room quickly found its footing in the matchup, with junior outside hitter Zada Sanger earning four kills in an early run. Sanger went on to finish the game as the team’s kill leader, with 13 total.
The Lions fought their way through the set to cut the Quakers’ lead to one point, forcing the Red and Blue to call their first timeout of the night. However, Penn never gave up its lead and took the set 25-20, losing six points to service errors — a problem that would persist throughout the night.
In set two, the Quakers and the Lions continued their close battle, exchanging point for point until, with the score 7-6, Moore found Sanger for a kill and a two-point lead — a connection that proved to be lethal for the remainder of the night.
“I just do whatever I can to get a win, which is all that matters. I am so proud to be able to contribute to this team and be helpful when I’m on the court,” Sanger said.
Columbia claimed its first lead of the match at 14-13. After a few service and reception errors, Penn was on the ropes with a 22-19 deficit and was forced to call a timeout — which proved useful when a missed serve by Columbia and back-to-back kills from Sanger brought the set to a 22-22 tie.
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The Quakers maintained their momentum after two back-to-back aces by sophomore outside hitter Jenna Garner brought the Quakers to a 25-22 win.
The third set was a hard-fought battle. Even with lots of service errors, Penn’s consistent attack game helped it gain a comfortable 18-12 lead after two big blocks from sophomore middle blocker Adell Murray. Columbia then responded by winning nine of the next 12 points — aided by multiple kills and blocks — bringing the two teams to a 21-21 tie. After a Penn timeout, Moore found her trusty frontline in Murray for a big kill, making the score 24-23. The crowd erupted as Columbia missed another hit, giving the Quakers a clean 3-0 victory.
Hot off a big win over the Lions, the Red and Blue were battle-tested heading into their matchup against Cornell. Undefeated in Ivy conference play and at the top of Ivy League standings, the Big Red was the favorite heading into the matchup.
“Cornell is a really aggressive team,” coach Tyler Hagstrom said ahead of the game. “They’re physical, and so I think we’ve got to be ready to just go toe-to-toe and battle it out with them for every point.”
The first set was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams playing past the 25-point mark. Penn led by as many as six points early in the set. With multiple ties and lead changes, the Quakers were headlined by senior middle blocker Jalen Tennyson with four kills and a .429 hitting percentage. Freshman libero Addison Pollock also performed well in the matchup, notching seven digs in the first set alone. Ultimately, the Quakers claimed the first set 29-27 after an ace from Garner.
Expecting the Big Red to bounce back after an intense first set, Penn was prepared for the second set. Initially trailing by two points early on, the team regained the lead with Sanger and Garner’s help. The duo launched a 6-0 scoring run, putting the Red and Blue ahead of Cornell by 12 points late in the second set. But the Quakers weren’t ready to take their foot off the gas.
While Cornell was able to narrowly trail behind the Quakers early in the third set, untimely attack errors from the Big Red allowed Penn’s fast and fiery offense to take the lead. While the Quakers led by as many as 11 points in the set, a 4-0 Cornell run forced a Penn timeout for the team to find its footing. Ultimately Penn kept the lead, claiming the third set over Cornell 25-16 and winning the match.
“It’s a privilege to be in a league where any team can win on any given night. … We work to set ourselves up in practice to have a competitive mentality so that we know we can go out and take any match,” Sanger said.
Initially off to a slow start in conference play, the Red and Blue found their footing to hand No. 1 Cornell its first conference loss of the season. Next, Penn volleyball will take on Princeton on the road on Oct. 24.
