Call it halloWeekend now. After losing four of their last five Ivy matchups, Penn volleyball busted out of their rut in a big way, picking up victories over both Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. The 3-0 win over Harvard (6-13, 4-6 Ivy) was especially meaningful as it marked the first season since 2010 where Penn (10-12, 5-5) won both matchups with the Crimson.

It seems that the Quakers have run into a hiccup on their path of development. Hopefully a Halloween road trip weekend can scare them into shape. Staring down yet another middle of the pack Ivy finish, Penn volleyball will try to finish strong in the second half and put a scare into their Ancient Eight counterparts ahead of them in the standings. The last time the Quakers (8-12, 3-5 Ivy) tangled with the two northeastern schools, it resulted in a 2-0 homestand for Penn as they eked out a close five-set victory over Dartmouth (8-11, 1-7 Ivy) before taking down Harvard (6-11, 4-4 Ivy) in four sets on national TV. Since that weekend, the Red and Blue have been reeling, losing four of their last five.

Volleyball is all about working in system to get opponents out of system. For Penn volleyball, new changes to their system had mixed reviews against an unflappable Princeton squad. On Friday evening, Penn lost a tough straight-set match to Ivy League-leading Princeton.

Penn volleyball may be a young team, but they've seen all they need to see. With one trip around the Ivy League complete, the Red and Blue are set to begin the rematches with now more familiar foes, starting with the Ancient Eight's best. On Friday night, Penn (8-11, 3-4 Ivy) will head to New Jersey to take on rival Princeton in their lone game this weekend.

The most accomplished coach in program history, Penn volleyball's Kerry Carr is nearing 500 games on the sidelines for the Red and Blue. Her greatest battle, however, took place away from the gym. 

In a sport like volleyball, so much depends on being able to move on from tough points. But often times, it can be just as important to move on from tough matches.

As another big weekend approaches for Penn Volleyball here at the Palestra as they look to produce out on the court against Ivy rivals Brown and Yale.

With such a large team, Penn volleyball coach Kerry Carr made clear from day one that she does not guarantee time on the court, but can guarantee time on the bench. Carr has a team whose strength comes from each player’s ability to come into the game at any moment, a skill that is necessary with such a deep roster of twenty-three girls. This is why sophomore Julia Tulloh and freshmen Ariana Wiltjer and Zoe Macartney's ‘team-first’ mentality and fierce work ethic are so critical to their individual and collective success as a team. "Julia, Ariana and Zoe are three girls who epitomize what the whole chemistry of the team is like," Carr said. After coming in as a walk-on her freshman year, Tulloh’s incredible work ethic and positive attitude made her a unique asset to the team from day one.

Within twenty-four hours, Penn volleyball played ten grueling sets in New York. But it was to no avail, as the Quakers fell in two tight matches against rivals Cornell and Columbia. “We played both matches really tough,” Coach Kerry Carr said “When it gets to the overtime set, and you’re on the road, it just gets a lot tougher.” The Quaker’s campaign began at the Newman Arena against the Big Red.

Coming off a sweep in the first Ivy doubleheader of the year, Penn volleyball will hit the road over fall break and take on Cornell and Columbia. The Quakers (7-8, 2-1 Ivy) carry momentum into the weekend after wins over Harvard and Dartmouth, but they'll face two hungry teams in New York, with the Big Red (5-7, 0-3) desperate for their first conference win and the Lions (8-5, 3-0) looking to stay undefeated in league play.

Penn volleyball optimistic for Dartmouth and Harvard Penn volleyball season is heating up, as the Quakers look to defeat Dartmouth and Harvard at the Palestra.

In more ways than one, it’s a new era for Penn volleyball. Sure, it’s easy to point out the absences of five senior captains from 2015 – players that accounted for four of the team’s top five in kills, not including Ivy League assists leader Ronnie Bither.

On the second day of Fall, Penn had a hard time standing up to a much more experienced Tiger squad at the Palestra. After battling back to force a decisive fifth set in their Ivy opener, Princeton took control en route to a victory over the Quakers.

She’s undersized. She’s young. She’s 1,500 miles from home. And outside hitter Courtney Quinn is leading the way for Penn volleyball in her sophomore campaign.

Teams often hope for intense competition at the end of their preseason schedules to prepare themselves for the regular season.

A pair of third-year defensive specialists are coming together to put the team first, even though they'll never wear the same uniform.

With five former captains having graduated this spring leading to an unprecedented senior-less roster, it’s no secret that turnover has been a constant storyline following Penn volleyball in 2016. But, at least for one weekend, it seemed everything was the same as always for the Red and Blue.