Coming off a high, Penn volleyball entered the match with confidence. But while confidence is key, the Quakers learned it would take more than that to take down the Princeton Tigers.
Penn volleyball (8-3, 0-1 Ivy) fell to Princeton (3-6, 1-0), 3-2, in their Ivy League opener on Friday night. Despite strong efforts from sophomore middle blocker Haley Kerstetter and sophomore libero Addison Pollock, the Quakers couldn’t overcome a late-game surge from the Tigers.
Junior setter Emery Moore felt the Quakers were “scared of their own success” from the preseason, letting “the name on their [Princeton’s] jersey and their accolades scare them.”
Here are some takeaways from the Quakers’ Ivy debut.
Off to a strong start
Penn came out hot with an early six-point run in the first set, forcing Princeton out of its system through tools off the block and intense serving. However, Princeton’s middle blocker Ava Harrington presented Penn with some trouble from the hitting line, keeping the Quakers on their toes. Penn’s strong defense and momentum ultimately caused Princeton to call two early timeouts to readjust its defensive strategy.
Penn wasn’t perfect, though, exhibiting some miscommunications resulting in a free ball kill and multiple dropped balls, which handed a few points to Princeton. Even with these errors, the Quakers maintained a large lead with a strong offense.
Princeton needed to make a change. With a mid-set switch to a 6-2 offense and Princeton setter Lia Skufca on the service line, the Tigers gained momentum, which forced Penn to take a timeout with just a four-point lead.
Coming off the break, Penn extended its lead with a 3-0 run. Princeton attempted to climb its way back into the game point by point, but it was too little, too late. The set ended with an explosive swing by Kerstetter, who found space between the blockers for a final score of 25-19.
By the second set, both teams had found their rhythm, picking up the speed and extending the rallies. Princeton got creative, keeping Penn on its toes, alternating between tips and hits. But Penn’s defense didn’t display any openings, allowing the Quakers to get off to a 7-1 lead.
The veteran status of both teams’ setters showed, with Moore running the offense for the Quakers and Sydney Draper for the Tigers. Penn’s front row was relentless, hitting deep corner shots that Princeton just could not pick up. Junior outside hitter and captain Jenna Garner stepped up for the Quakers, finding openings in Princeton’s block and slamming the ball down.
After a strong ace from junior outside hitter Ellie Siskin, the Tigers were forced to call a timeout in hopes of slowing down the Quakers, who led 22-11, but the Quakers were not willing to lose the set.
In a showdown at the net, Kerstetter dominated Princeton in a joust, closing out the set for a second time.
The Tigers fight back
When the Ivy rivals switched sides in the third set, the Tigers got the boost they desperately needed. The set started off strong, with each team matching each other point for point.
Penn was good, but Princeton was better.
Despite Penn putting up zero hitting errors, Princeton led for the first time in the match. The Tigers pulled away from the Quakers in a three-point run, bringing the game to 11-8. The Quakers took two timeouts within the next few points, as they struggled with a serve receive.
However, Princeton continued to get Penn out of its system. Big defensive plays from the Tigers created the biggest gap of the set as Princeton led 19-11. Moore described getting “a little timid when the third set got tight,” highlighting the intensity of the match.
A service error from Princeton gave Penn a chance to get back in the game, which it took advantage of with a three-point run. As the set continued in Princeton’s favor, Penn fought to stay in it as Moore and Pollock got crucial digs. Even with big efforts, the Quakers lost the third set, 25-20, off a missed tip.
In the fourth set, Princeton came out strong again as Harrington continued to find holes in Penn’s defense. As Penn struggled with the serve receive, Princeton picked up points from easy kills. As the score fluctuated back and forth, fans were kept on the edge of their seats.
Garner consistently made use of Princeton’s block to create points for the Quakers, while Harrington continued to be Princeton’s primary scorer, with eight kills. Penn tried out some new faces to attempt to regain momentum, switching its offensive strategy to a 6-2 rotation.
Both the Quakers and the Tigers primarily ran slides, which neither team seemed to be able to pick up. Back-and-forth timeouts and point-for-point runs defined the late offense. Although senior outside hitter Zada Sanger delivered a big kill to keep the game alive, Harrington was able to end the set with a soft shot for Princeton.
A battle to the end
With a fifth set to 15, the Quakers came out on the attack to win the first two points of the set. But the set was still young. With Princeton down 4-1, Harrington turned the game around with a massive swing that rocked the Quaker defense.
The Tigers built off Harrington’s momentum, igniting a four-point run. Garner delivered a kill to put the Quakers back in the game, but Harrington wasn’t done, attacking the service line with three untouchable back-to-back aces.
In a stroke of luck, Harrington had a service error, giving Penn another chance to get back in the game. An eye for an eye, blow for blow, the two teams battled it out, going point for point. Penn called its final timeout with Princeton up at 14-13, as both teams exhausted all their options.
Kerstetter, Garner, and Harrington traded swings in a seemingly never-ending back-and-forth.
Princeton earned its third game point off of a missed swing from junior middle blocker Adell Murray, finishing out the set 17-15 off another missed swing from Garner. Despite an early lead, the Tigers managed to quell the Quakers, executing a reverse sweep.
“I think we need to work on embracing the pressure and all the feelings that come with it. It’s easy to let that get to you, but that’s what you’re here for,” Kerstetter said.
Penn volleyball will face off against Columbia and Cornell in a doubleheader at the Palestra this upcoming weekend.
“There’s a lot of great things that come from games like this,” Sanger said.
