PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team (10-9, 5-5 Ivy) pulled off the biggest win of their season thus far after defeating the Ivy League's top ranked team, Yale (14-5, 8-2 Ivy), in dramatic 3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13) fashion. Like the night before in which everybody got involved, the Red and Blue stuck to that game plan as four Quakers hit more than 10 kills. 

With the win, Penn is 2-1 in the second half of Ivy League play and will play at home for the final time in 2017 next weekend as they take on Cornell and Columbia. 

Inside the Numbers

* The Quakers defeated Yale for the first time in the last 13 tries. The last win came in an Ivy League playoff back in 2010, also a 3-2, five set victory. 

* Penn out-hit Yale .196 to .134 throughout the match. The Red and Blue also hit 12 more kills, 66 to 54. Penn's 66 kills are the second most that they've had in a match this season. 

* The Quakers had four players hit 10 or more kills which is the second time that has happened in 2017. Parker Jones, Hayley Molnar, Kendall Covington, and Raven Sulaimon combined for 56 kills which is the most among four players this season.

* The team also had four players hit 10 or more digs. Caroline Furrer (22), Michelle Pereira (13), Sydney Morton (15), and Jones (15) accumulated a combined 65 digs.

* Hayley Molnar tied a career high 16 kills which came in second on the team. The senior lead the team in efficiency as she hit .382.

* Jones hit 18 kills which lead the team. It is the sixth time this season that the freshman has hit 15 or more kills. Her team is 5-1 in those matches. The freshman also had her ninth double-double of the season as she had 15 digs. 

* Sydney Morton earned her eighth double-double of the season as she had 50 assists, the third most she has had this season to go along with her 15 digs. 

* Caroline Furrer tied her season high of 22 digs. The first year libero passed the 250 mark as she now has 252 on the year. 

How it Happened

After starting the evening down 12-4 out of the gates, it looked as if it may be a short night for the Quakers as the Bulldogs were playing like the best team in the Ivy League. That deficit eventually became 20-10 leaving little hope of a first set comeback possible. However, that's when the Red and Blue flipped a switch. Three kills by Kendall Covington sparked a 6-0 run to bring the score withing three to 21-18 in favor of Yale. While the Bulldogs ended up winning the first set 25-21, it was clear this was going to be a different match moving forward. 

And indeed it was. 

While the Quakers got down 8-3 in the early goings of the second set, this time, they were able to recover. The Red and Blue took advantage of five errors from Yale as well as kills from Covington and freshman Raven Sulaimon to take the lead and go up 10-9. A 5-0 run that included three more errors from the Bulldogs put Penn up 15-11 and they didn't look back. Jones hit two of the team's final three kills, including the set clincher to take the second set 25-18 and tie the match up at a set a piece. 

The Red and Blue remained in control in the early goings of the third set. The Quakers took the first point and never relinquished the lead. Behind five kills from senior Hayley Molnar, Penn took the third set 25-20 and were just one set away from knocking off the top ranked team in the conference. 

With a 6-0 run that included two kills by Jones, the Quakers went up 13-9 halfway through the fourth set. Back to back kills from Brooke Behrbaum and Molnar put the Red and Blue up 22-17 making it all but certain that they would walk out of The Palestra with a win. However, a 7-1 run by Yale and the Quakers found themselves down 24-23. Locked up at 25-25, the Bulldogs won two straight points as Penn fell in the fourth set 27-25 forcing a fifth and deciding set. 

After a crushing fourth set loss, the Red and Blue made certain not to get down early in the shortened fifth set. Two kills by Molnar put Penn up 4-2 and with the score tied at 7-7, Covington made the score 8-7 to give her team the lead at the change of ends. A huge ace by Michelle Pereira that tipped off the net gave the Quakers a 13-10 lead, one that they wouldn't give up this time around. Jones gave the Red and Blue match point at 14-12 with her 18th kill of the night and with an error by Yale, Penn volleyball would walk away with one of the biggest wins of their season winning the final set 15-13 and the match 3-2. 

What's Next

Next weekend the Quakers finish off their five game home stand and play the final matches at The Palestra this season. The Red and Blue will take on Cornell on Friday before facing off against Columbia on Saturday which is also senior night.