Penn volleyball’s season is off to a stellar start.
Despite coming into the season projected to finish fifth in the Ivy League, the Quakers (8-2) have outperformed expectations. The Red and Blue, led by sophomore libero Addison Pollock and sophomore middle blocker Haley Kerstetter, have only dropped 13 sets on the season so far, good for second in conference standings.
Going into conference play, the Quakers are averaging 13.38 assists per set, which puts them tenth in the nation. Pollock has also made a name for herself on the national stage, averaging 5.45 digs per set for second in the NCAA.
The season started out slow with a hard-fought 2-3 defeat against Stony Brook at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational. The Quakers turned the disappointment into momentum, fueling a six-game win streak over the following weeks — the program’s longest streak since 2019.
“We’re always just looking for consistency, and I think tonight was just a really consistent team effort,” coach Tyler Hagstrom said of the team’s victory over Rider. “We feel like when we play at a high level that we can do some great things, and that’s what we want to do.”
Here are the greatest moments from the Quakers’ season so far.
Quakers win Leopard Invitational, Kerstetter named tournament MVP
Tournaments are the bread and butter of non-conference play. At the Leopard Invitational, hosted by Lafayette College (6-6) in Easton, Pa., the Quakers swept the Leopards to secure the tournament title.
Penn faced Quinnipiac (1-10) for the opening match of the tournament. The Quakers were in sync on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court, with junior outside hitter Jenna Garner holding it down on the front line, posting 15 kills and 18 digs on the game. Pollock led the way on the back court, recording a career-best 34 digs.
Although Kerstetter put up a career-high eight blocks during the first game, she began to hit her stride in the Quakers’ second match against Rhode Island (5-7), posting a career-best 16 kills with seven blocks. Pollock had another career day with 28 digs and 11 assists, supporting Penn’s 3-2 victory over the Rams.
Kerstetter’s efforts on the court wouldn’t go unnoticed, especially after an even stronger showing in the Quakers’ 3-0 victory over Lafayette — the program’s first shutout victory of the season. Kerstetter earned tournament MVP honors for her valiant efforts, while Pollock and senior outside hitter Zada Sanger were named to the all-tournament team.
Dominant outing against Rider at the Palestra
Rider (1-8) didn’t stand a chance as the Quakers established a standard of dominance on their home court.
Junior outside hitter Ellie Siskin established the pace with three service aces, while the Quakers’ front row set up an unanswered eight-point run to establish an early lead over the Broncs. A few defensive and service errors from Penn soon gave Rider some momentum to fight back in the set.
A handful of unanswered point streaks from the Broncs were able to reduce the Quakers’ lead down to three, but the Red and Blue weren’t done yet, rallying points before securing the set with a big block from freshman hitter Skylar Greene.
The Red and Blue kept the pressure on in the second set. Kerstetter notched two back-to-back aces early on for a five-point unanswered streak, forcing the Broncs to take a timeout as they trailed 11-4.
The Broncs struggled to find their footing as junior setter Emery Moore and sophomore setter Nathalie Tsai connected with their front row for several kills to bring the Quakers to an 11-point lead twice in the set. An offensive error by Rider sealed the second set for the Quakers, 25-13.
Kerstetter attributed much of the team’s success to the play of the setters. “I have full faith when I’m swinging that the setters know who to set and where the block is going to be,” Kerstetter said.
With their foot on the gas, the Quakers quickly closed the third set with several kills. Sanger led the charge with 10 kills on the night. The Quakers would go on to close out the third set with a 14-point lead at 25-11, earning their second clean sweep of the season and the program’s sixth-straight win.
Upset victory over Rutgers rewrites program history
Coming off their second defeat of the season against St. John’s (10-3), the Quakers were incensed to re-establish their win streak.
The cards seemed to be stacked against Penn for the second match of the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Invitational. After all, they were facing Big Ten stalwart Rutgers (9-3), and the Quakers had never defeated a Big Ten program in straight sets. But just as records are made to be broken, history is meant to be rewritten.
The Scarlet Knights and the Quakers kept it close, with each team scoring at least 17 points per set. Penn took advantage of an early lead during the first two sets, maintaining the momentum despite back-and-forth attempts from Rutgers.
Although the Quakers stumbled during the third set, they weren’t deterred going into the fourth. A back-and-forth rally ensued as the Quakers and the Scarlet Knights stayed within one point of each other until a four-point serving run from Garner brought Penn to a critical match point. A kill from junior middle blocker Adell Murray sealed the deal, securing a 3-1 Quaker victory.
The upperclassmen led the way on the front lines, with Sanger putting up a career-high 14 kills and 16 points, while Murray tallied a career-high 17.5 points.
After notching the first win over a Power Four program in 16 years the Quakers will begin conference play on the road against Ivy rival Princeton (2-6). Despite being picked as the preseason favorite, Princeton is currently ranked at the bottom of the conference standings.
The Quakers have a chance to prove themselves once again this season by notching their first victory over Princeton since 2024.
