PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team traveled across the city on Sunday to play fellow Big 5 school La Salle to cap off the Valley Forge Sports Invitational Tournament. The Quakers looked to finish off the tournament with a win, but after coming back from an early two-set deficit the Red and Blue fell 3-2 (18-25, 17-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-17). With the loss the Quakers finish 1-2 on the weekend and are now 3-3 overall in 2017. 

Inside the Numbers
* After being down two sets to none, the Quakers came back to tie the match up at two sets apiece. In the final two sets, Penn saved a total of four match points, but were unable to pull ahead late. 

*Freshman Parker Jones earned her third straight double-double as she finished with a team-high 14 kills to go with 16 digs. 

 Kendall Covington and Hayley Molnar both helped turn things around for the Quakers in the second half. Covington hit .357 for the match with 13 kills, while Molnar had seven kills with a team-high hit percentage of .500.

*Brooke Behrbaum, Molnar, Covington, and Jones all teamed up for several blocks. As a team, the Quakers finished with nine which was one more than La Salle who dominated the net early. 

How it Happened
To say the least, the Quakers got off to a slow start out of the gate and La Salle took advantage through the first two sets. Behind six blocks in the first set, La Salle took the opening frame 25-18 and continued that strong play through the second set as they won 25-17. 

Coming out of the half, the Quakers were a much different team and playing more aggressive. Penn started quick, winning seven straight points with help by Hayley Molnar and Sydney Morton. Another 7-1 run later in the set and the Quakers didn't look back. They out-hit La Salle .364 to .227 and kept the match alive, winning 25-21. 

The Red and Blue kept that momentum going into the fourth set, but neither team was able to gain much separation. After 14 ties and one match point saved, the Quakers finally clinched the set with back-to-back blocks by Kendall Covington, Brooke Behrbaum, Courtney Quinn, and Molnar to extend the match to a fifth and final set. 

While the Quakers started the fifth set by winning four straight points, La Salle fought back to take a 5-4 lead. Behind Parker Jones, Behrbaum, and Covington, the Quakers took a 13-10 lead putting themselves just two points from the match. However, La Salle fought back to take a lead at 14-13 and never relinquished it. The Quakers saved three more match points with kills from Jones and Molnar, but they couldn't save a fourth in falling, 17-15.

What's next
The Quakers head to Moon Township, Pa., next weekend where they will play Rutgers, Robert Morris, and Middle Tennessee State before Ivy League play starts.

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