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.

Heading into the thick of Ivy season, Penn field hockey is ready to roll. After winning their first Ivy contest on Saturday, the Quakers (6-2, 1-0 Ivy) look to repeat their success on Sunday when they host Harvard. The Crimson (4-4, 1-0 Ivy) have had their high and low moments this season.

Statistically, on paper, it seems as though events are repeating themselves. Penn coach Nicole Van Dyke, understandably, feels differently.

On October 2, Penn cross country will travel to Lehigh to compete in the Paul Short Invitational, where both the men and women will kick off their seasons in earnest.  The Quakers are coming off of first-place performances in two early-year tuneups, the Big 5 Invitational and the Main Line Invitational.

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.

Once again, Penn field hockey won in a one-goal game that fails to represent the team’s dominance during the course of play.

Last year, Penn field hockey’s opponents probably had one plan to keep the ball out of their net: find Alexa Hoover and keep the ball as far away from her as possible.

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.

A controversial foul call in the 29th minute proved to be the difference on Saturday, as Harvard senior Midge Purce’s penalty kick gave the Crimson a 1-0 victory over the Quakers in the Ivy League opener.

Penn field hockey took a trip to the Empire State this past weekend to take on Ivy rival Cornell and No. 1 Syracuse in what is one of the toughest weekends on their schedule.

Welcome to the big league. That’s what this weekend looks like for Penn women’s soccer as they begin the Ivy season by hosting Harvard.

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.

Upstate New York has served as a notable battleground in American history. That legacy will continue this weekend as Penn arms itself for two of the hardest encounters it will face this season.

Ask any civilian on the street who the nation’s premier power couple is, and you’ll probably get some varied responses; Kim and Kanye, Beyonce and Jay-Z and Brad and Angelina are among many names that might get thrown out there. But within the realm of Penn Athletics, the answer is quite simple: Bob and Juli.

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.

It’s a footrace. Penn goalkeeper Kitty Qu is off her line the second the ball slips past her defenders, but is not quick enough to see it secured into her hands.