Three Up Three Down: Penn volleyball vs. Harvard & Dartmouth

In its second Ivy weekend of the year, Penn volleyball (8-8, 2-3 Ivy) saw some encouraging signs, taking a set from reigning Ivy champ Yale in a losing effort and sweeping Brown to cap off a stretch of four straight road games. Back in the cozy confines of the Palestra, let's see who's hot (and who's not) as the Crimson (8-6, 3-2) and Big Green (8-9, 1-4) come to town.

Three Up-

Susan Stuecheli: The senior captain absolutely torched Brown on Saturday, recording 15 kills to go along with a robust .636 hitting percentage. If the middle blocker can continue producing on the offensive end, it will be difficult for opponents to generate much momentum against the Red and Blue.

Molly Kornfeind: Dartmouth's fantastic freshman earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for her play last week. Kornfeind totaled 30 digs and 30 kills over the course of the Big Green's weekend split against Columbia and Cornell. Penn will need to keep the ball away from her side of the court.

Corinne Bain: Harvard has a superstar newcomer of its own in Bain. The setter currently ranks fourth in the country in aces per set at .63 and was also named Ivy League Rookie of the Week back on Sept. 10. Against UMass-Lowell on Sept. 18, she tallied a whopping seven service aces. Bain will be a huge test for the Quakers' defense.

Three Down-

Arielle Winfield: Penn's star newcomer has recently run into a rough patch. Against Yale, she recorded five errors to only four kills, and added a second consecutive night with a negative attack percentage when she committed three errors to one kill in a single set of work against Brown. Winfield needs to re-establish herself on offense.

The volleyball net at the Palestra: It's been far, far too long since the Quakers were able to play a match in front of their home fans. Penn's last home game came all the way back on Sept. 15, when the Red and Blue were hosting the Crowne Philadelphia West Penn Invitational. Some home cooking will do Penn good.

Dartmouth's season: The Big Green have entered a death spiral after starting their season off 7-3. A five-set win over Cornell snapped a six-match losing streak, but this year's campaign has shown that Dartmouth still has a ways to go before the memories of last season's 2-22 debacle can be forgotten.