Victory just wasn't in the cards for Penn volleyball.
Penn volleyball took on Yale and Brown to continue Ivy League play, and it fell 3-0 to the Bulldogs and 3-2 to the Bears, ultimately extending its three-game losing streak against Ivy League opponents.
Against Yale, the Quakers (6-5, 0-1 Ivy) fell swiftly against the defending Ivy League champions Yale (5-4, 1-0 Ivy) in three sets (12-25, 19-25, 19-25). The Bulldogs have historically dominated the Quakers, winning 17 out of the past 18 matchups. The Quakers’ last win in the series came at home in 2017.
Penn struggled to find rhythm in the first set. Yale overpowered the Quakers early, jumping to a 13-4 lead behind heavy swings and dominant middle blocking. Behind a strong net presence from sophomore outside hitter Jenna Garner, the Quakers started to cut into the deficit, but sloppy out-of-system play handed the set back to Yale. Despite a lopsided first set, freshman libero Addison Pollock was a bright spot defensively, tallying a team-high 15 digs through the night.
In the second set full of long and gritty rallies, the Quakers settled at first before falling 25-19. With strong performances from junior outside hitter Zada Sanger and sophomore setter Emery Moore, Penn took an early 9-5 lead. Garner finished a one-minute 27-second rally with a massive block. The Bulldogs, though, gained control late in the set with consistent blocking and in-system swings, ultimately taking the set after winning five straight points.
Set three was the most competitive of the night, with five lead changes before Yale inched ahead at 7-7 and maintained the lead. The Quakers continued to struggle with service errors and miscommunication throughout the set, and the back row struggled to handle the Bulldog right-side hitters. Junior right-side hitter Bella Rittenberg powered a late push with heavy swings and a service ace, and freshman setter Nathalie Tsai added an ace to put the score at 17-13, but Yale closed it out 25-19.
Overall, Yale outperformed the Penn team in all statistical categories – Yale had nine service aces compared to Penn's three, and 44 kills compared to Penn’s 31. The Quakers, however, fought hard and continued to show flashes of defensive brilliance heading into Saturday’s game against Brown.
“We always want to try to compete at the highest level that we can. I don’t feel like we necessarily came and played the way we wanted to play against Yale,” head coach Tyler Hagstrom said, “I think we got to learn how to finish a little bit better. We put ourselves in some good spots … we just need to go and take it at the end of the sets.”
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After their tough loss to Yale, the Quakers battled hard in an intense five-set thriller Saturday night against Brown.
After dominant first and second set performances defined by tough service pressure and consistent offensive production, the Quakers had paved the way to claim the match in a three-set sweep over the Bears. The Red and Blue jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the first set, but Brown would not go down without a fight, trailing by as little as two points at one point midway through the set. Ultimately, though, Penn’s fiery offense was too much for Brown to handle. In set one alone, Sanger put down four kills on zero errors, hitting a perfect 1.000, and sophomore outside hitter Ellie Siskin forced four service aces from the Bears.
Similarly, set two saw nine different ties throughout, but it was ultimately defined by Penn’s stellar defense and continual offensive production. Pollock led the way for the Quakers in set two with nine digs and one ace, while Sanger claimed the set 25-21with five additional kills.
Sets three and four are where the tides turned for the Bears. Early in set three, the Red and Blue led Brown by as much as five points, but the remainder of the set saw 12 different ties and five different lead changes, culminating in neither team leading the set by more than two points. However, the Bears prevailed, claiming the set 25-22.
Set four was no different: a momentum shift in Brown's favor. Although Penn's 18-13 lead may have favored their odds at winning the set, Brown middle blocker Sophia Wolfson and outside hitter Ally Panzloff had other plans. The duo rallied six straight points to take the lead over Penn, never letting up the lead as the Bears claimed the set 25-21.
But Hagstrom found the positives from the game.
“I like that we responded last night. We know it's a competitive league, and there's some really good teams, so it’s not necessarily just about wins and losses." Hagstrom said.
Although putting up a valiant effort, the momentum Brown rallied was too much for the Quakers as they ultimately fell in five sets to Brown 15-10. But the Red and Blue made the Bears work for it.
“[Tonight] we showed up as a team — having a lot of energy, getting after it from the back line, just playing with a lot more freedom out there,” Hagstrom added, “We got to learn how to stay aggressive, confident, and believe in ourselves.”
Penn will face up next against Harvard in Cambridge on Oct. 10.
