Philadelphia - After playing their first matches at home last weekend at the Valley Forge Sports Invitational Tournament, the University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team (3-3) heads back on the road prior to Ivy League play starting next week. The Quakers will be headed to western Pennsylvania for the Robert Morris Invitational where they will play Rutgers, host school Robert Morris, and Middle Tennessee State. 

The Red and Blue went 1-2 last week and will be looking to finish the non-conference schedule strong prior to playing 2016 Ivy League Champion, Princeton, on September 22. 

The Schedule

The Quakers will begin the Robert Morris Invitational against Rutgers Friday at 11 a.m. The Red and Blue will play a second match on Friday against host school Robert Morris at 6:30 p.m. who traveled to Penn last week for the Valley Forge Sports Invitational Tournament, however, the two teams did not play. The Quakers will wrap up the weekend on Saturday at 10 a.m. 

About the Quakers

*The Quakers went 1-2 last weekend at the Valley Forge Sports Invitational Tournament to put themselves at 3-3 on the season. The Red and Blue started the weekend strong with a win against Siena, but lost to Navy in four sets and lost a tough five set match to La Salle to finish off the weekend. Penn will be looking finish the non-conference schedule strong before traveling to New Jersey on September 22 to play Princeton. 

* Freshman Parker Jones leads the teams in kills with 81 and 3.38 kills per set which ranks fourth in the Ivy League. Jones won Ivy League Rookie of the Week after the first week of play and has accumulated a double-double in her last three games. 

*Senior Kendall Covington once again made it on the all-tournament team at the home Valley Forge Sports Invitational. Covington had double digit kills in the team's win against Siena and throughout the weekend she had a .413 hit percentage. She leads the Ivy League in hit percentage this season hitting .397.

* Sydney Morton, Brooke Behrbaum, and Caroline Furrer all continue to play well this season. Morton ranks second in the Ivy League with 9.7 assists per set, Behrbaum is among the top in blocks with 1.04 per set, and Furrer ranks fourth in digs with 3.75 per set. 

Scouting the Field

*Rutgers
2017 Record (2016 Record): 3-6 (4-29)
Previous Meeting: Rutgers holds a 7-11 advantage over Penn. The last meeting between the two teams came in 2012 with the Quakers falling 3-1.
Quick Fact: After starting 3-1, Rutgers has lost their last five straight. CJ Werneke will be a player for Penn to keep an eye on. The senior has accumulated over 740 kills in her career and last season ranked second on the team with 183 digs.

*Robert Morris
2017 Record (2016 Record): 5-7 (14-16)
Previous Meeting: The Quakers and Colonials last played in 2003 with Penn earning a 3-1 victory. 
Quick Fact: Robert Morris went 2-1 last week at the Valley Forge Sports Invitational. Averaging 2.82 kills, 1.27 blocks, and hitting .364, Emma Granger won NEC rookie of the week. 

*Middle Tennessee State
2017 Record (2016 Record): 3-8 (5-24)
Previous Meeting: This will be the first meeting between the Quakers and Middle Tennessee State.
Quick Fact: The Blue Raiders swept the competition last week at the Comfort Innvitational.