Philadelphia - The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team (5-4) finally begins Ivy League play on Friday night at 7 p.m. against the defending champion Princeton Tigers (7-3). The Quakers wrapped up their preseason schedule playing in three tournaments and amassing a 5-4 record over the last three weeks. Behind new head coach
Katie Schumacher-Cawley, the Red and Blue won two of those tournaments and had players like
Hayley Molnar,
Kendall Covington, and
Parker Jones end up on all-tournament teams. Covington earned herself tournament MVP at the Robert Morris Invitational just last weekend while Jones has garnered two Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards early on in her Penn career.
The Quakers went 0-2 against Princeton last season, but the Red and Blue pushed the Tigers to a close 3-2 loss in the first meeting early in the year. With a new coach, a new season, and early confidence, Penn will look to come out on top this time around in the Ivy League opener, just like they did two seasons ago.
How to Follow
*As always the match will be streamed on the
Ivy League Network . You can also follow along on Twitter at
@pennvolleyball and via
Live Stats.
About Penn
*Throughout the preseason, the Quakers won two of the three tournaments they played in amassing a 5-4 record in the process. Players like
Hayley Molnar,
Kendall Covington, and
Parker Jones earned all-tournament honors while Covington won tournament MVP in Robert Morris and Jones won Ivy League rookie of the Week twice.
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Parker Jones has remained impressive for the Red and Blue. The Freshman is off to a fast start as she won her second Ivy League Rookie of the Year award last week. She leads the team in kills and is among the top in the Ivy League in kills per set, points, and digs.
*Penn has out-hit Princeton so far this season hitting .240 which ranks second in the Ivy League while the Tigers hit just .220. The Quakers also rank ahead of Princeton in opponent hitting percentage allowing just .194. The Red and Blue also allow the fewest opponent blocks.
*
Kendall Covington leads the Ivy League in hitting percentage as she has hit .417.
*This will be coach
Katie Schumacher-Cawley's first Ivy League match.
Scouting the Tigers
*Princeton returns five starters from last season's championship team.
*The Tigers have put together a 7-3 record in non-league play. Princeton has put together wins against Boston College, Villanova, and Connecticut. However, they are losers of two of their last three games.
*Princeton's Natasha Skov and Maggie O'Connell rank first and second in kills per set in the Ivy League. O'Connell tops the Ivy League in points
*As a team, the Tigers best the Ivy League in assists and are second in kills per set behind Cornell. The team is also second in the league in digs.
History
*This will be the 78th meeting between the Quakers and Tigers with Penn behind in the head to head 30-47.
*The Quakers' last win in the series came two years ago in the season's opening Ivy League game at Dillon Gym.
