Has Yale already ended the Quakers' volleyball season?

Last weekend, the Penn volleyball team beat Princeton. Now what?

The Quakers are tied with Harvard for third place in the Ivy League Standings, one game behind Princeton and three games behind undefeated defending champion Yale. Now beginning its second pass through the Ivy gauntlet, Penn not only must win but has to do what all teams hate doing: Hope its opponents will lose.

Unfortunately, this does not seem to be a very realistic proposal. Not only has Yale yet to lose a single game to an Ivy opponent, they have only lost two sets in the Ivy season — one to Brown and one to Dartmouth, the two teams tied for last place in the Ivy League rankings. The Bulldogs are opportunistic and excel against competitive teams that have given them problems in the past, like Princeton. Their offense thrives, even against strong defensive back rows like Penn, and is ranked third in the nation in both kills and assists per set.

Being atop the Ivy League standings isn’t a new feeling for Yale either. When Penn took the Ivy League in 2010, it had to defeat Yale in a five-set playoff. This is not a team that gives up easy and certainly not one that will let an Ivy Championship slip through its fingers.

Then again, neither is Penn. After a fifth-place finish last year, this season can begin to set the stage for the resurgence of Penn’s historically successful volleyball program (coach Kerry Carr is the winningest coach in program history). A win against the Crimson this weekend will be essential in differentiating Penn from playing at an average level to becoming one of the top three competitors in the league.

After their performance against Princeton and their tough 3-2 loss to Harvard in September, the Quakers should put away Harvard this time, which will give them sole ownership over the third-place spot. A win against Yale on Nov. 2 could mark their first win against the Bulldogs since their Ivy League championship season in 2010, but based on Yale’s 3-0 win earlier this season, this seems unlikely.

Though it may be too little, too late for the Quakers this season, a strong second half can show that this still-young team will be in a position to really contend next year.