After splitting their matches yesterday between Campbell (5-0) and Central Michigan (3-1), the University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team (2-1) looked to come out of the George Mason Invitational with a winning record. The Quakers did just that as they defeated the home team George Mason (1-4) in convincing fashion completing the match in straight sets, 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-21).
With the win, new head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley ends her first weekend on a strong note with back-to-back wins.
Inside The Numbers
Because of a strong performance on Friday, freshman Parker Jones earned her first start as a Quaker. While she didn't play at the same level as day one, she still managed to lead the team in kills with 10 hitting an impressive .348. Senior Kendall Covington had a strong performance as well totaling nine kills for a .500 hit percentage while senior Sydney Morton had 28 assists to give herself 117 on the weekend.
The Quakers out-hit the Patriots .293 to .135 and had a strong match serving as collectively they hit seven aces compared to the Patriots' two.
How it Happened
The Quakers took the momentum from their win on the night before against Central Michigan and started right where they left off. Behind Courtney Quinn's four kills, Penn pulled away late as they won eight of the final nine points of the first set to win 25-12.
The second set was much like the first in the fact that the red and blue played better as the set went on. With the help of Parker Jones' four kills, the Quakers finished on a 10-2 run to take the second set 25-17 and a two-set lead. The Patriots didn't go away easy in the final frame, but Covington hit a hat-trick of three straight kills to give the Quakers the advantage and complete the sweep 25-21.
Up Next
The Quakers end a successful weekend in which they went 2-1, bouncing back from a loss in the first contest in five sets to winning back to back matches. Up next, Penn will look to take what they accomplished at the George Mason Invitational into their own tournament as the Quakers host the Valley Forge Sports Penn Invitational. At the Penn Invitational, the Quakers will play Navy and Siena at the Palestra before traveling across the city to play fellow Big 5 School, La Salle.