MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team (4-4), went back on the road this week to take on the Robert Morris Invitational. The Quakers played two matches on Friday starting with Rutgers (5-6) and then finishing the day off against host school Robert Morris (5-9). When all was said and done, the Red and Blue had a successful day pushing Rutgers to four sets, losing 3-1, and then capping the evening off with a hard-fought, five-set win, 3-2, against Robert Morris. 

Inside The Numbers
* Hayley Molnar had her best game of 2017 against Rutgers. The senior hit 16 kills with a .542 hit percentage. Molnar was the only Quaker against Rutgers to acquire double-digit kills. 

* In game two, it was Courtney Quinn who shined. Quinn had a season-high 17 kills to go with 19 points. She also had her first double-double on the year acquiring 12 digs. 

* Once again, Parker Jones played a big role on the team. The freshman outside hitter put up 16 kills against Robert Morris. While her three game double-double streak came to an end against Rutgers, against Robert Morris, she got right back on track with 14 digs to go with her 16 kills. 

*Sydney Morton, as always, was a consistent spot on the Quaker offense. The Red and Blue setter put up 41 assists in game one against Rutgers and then had a team high, 52 assists in game two against Robert Morris. Morton assisted on 82% of the Quaker's kills against the Colonials. 

* Caroline Furrer and Kendall Covington also had performances worth mentioning. Furrer had a team high 22 digs against Robert Morris while Covington hit 13 kills with a .650 hit percentage. Covington is hitting .430 on the year. 

How it Happened
 The Quakers came into the Robert Morris Invitational looking to bounce back after having gone 1-2 last week at the Valley Forge Sports Penn Invitational. The tournament would get started against a tough Big 10 opponent in Rutgers. While the Quakers out-hit Rutgers, it was the Scarlet Knights who came up big on the crucial points. 

Aside from the final set, the two teams were evenly matched with the first three sets being decided by at most three points. In the first two sets, the Quakers found themselves within one point after kills by Kendall Covington and Parker Jones at 23-22 and 24-23 in the first set, but it was Rutgers who took advantage of a ball-handling error to close out the opening set. Tied at 20-20 late in the second, once again, it was the Quakers who fell behind and were unable to make up costly errors. Penn won the third set, but fell behind 17-10 in the fourth and were unable to mount a comeback. 

After a third straight tough loss, the Quakers needed to get a win against Robert Morris and they did just that, edging out a tight five set victory. Robert Morris traveled to the Penn Invitational last week, but the two teams did not meet. Unlike the prior three matches in which the Quakers lost, the Red and Blue got off to a fast start against the Colonials winning the first set 25-17 while hitting a remarkable .516. 

In a match that was very back and fourth, the Colonials took the second set 25-23.

However, the Quakers showed resiliency and responded playing much like they did in the first set. With kills from Covington and Molnar, Penn took a commanding 19-13 lead and never looked back. The Red and Blue out-hit Robert Morris .400 to .167 to take the third set 25-19 and take a much needed two set to one lead. 

Penn found themselves up 14-10  in the middle of the fourth set, but Robert Morris didn't go away. Deadlocked at 20-20, the Quakers lost five of the final seven points and were headed to their second fifth set match in their last three matches while the Colonials were headed to their third straight five set match.

The Quakers played a five set match last weekend against La Salle, falling 17-15. They hoped to use that as a learning experience in order to help them Friday evening. However, things did not start off well as the Quakers found themselves down 7-4 in the early stretch. The Red and Blue didn't quit as hey rallied off seven straight points, five of which came off of errors from the Colonials. Robert Morris battled back to tie things up at 11, but with two kills from Jones and two errors, the Quakers found themselves winning the final four points and ending the day with a much needed 3-2 win taking the final set 15-11. 

What's Next
The Quakers finish off the Robert Morris Invitational against Middle Tennessee State (4-9). Like the Quakers, the Blue Raiders lost in four sets to Rutgers and beat Robert Morris in five sets. The two teams face off Saturday morning at 10 a.m.