Princeton, N.J. - The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team fell in the Ivy League opener to Princeton, 3-0 on Friday night. The Quakers looked to carry their momentum that they had gained in the preseason into Ivy League play, but defeating their opponent, two-time defending champ Princeton, would not be an easy task. While the Red and Blue pushed the Tigers to extra play in the first set, eventually falling 27-25, Princeton came out on top and never let up as the Quakers fell 25-18 in the final two frames.
With the loss, Penn falls to 5-5 on the season and will play two more Ivy League games against Yale and Brown next week before returning home for a five game home stand.
Inside the Numbers
* The Quakers were out-hit by Princeton on Friday night. While Penn started strong with a .286 hit percentage, they finished hitting just .118 compared to Princeton's .260.
* In just her first Ivy League game,
Parker Jones finished tied for second on the team with seven kills as well as digs with six. The freshman was also one of two players on the team to hit an ace.
*The Red and Blue didn't finish with any players hitting double-digit kills or digs while Princeton finished with two.
*
Hayley Molnar had a solid game. Through the first set the senior started with four kills while hitting an impressive ..667. Molnar finished with seven kills.
* Coming off a season in which she finished honorable mention all-Ivy,
Courtney Quinn picked up where she left off as she lead the team with eight kills while being one of the team's more efficient hitters on the night hitting .231.
How it Happened
Coming out of the gate, the Quakers looked like they belonged with the two-time defending champion Princeton Tigers. For the better part of the first set, they were the better team. However, when it mattered most is when Penn faltered. Up 19-17, the Red and Blue looked like they may take an early lead on the road. However, back to back service errors put Princeton up 23-21 and while the Quakers were able to fight back, saving three set points with kills from
Courtney Quinn and
Hayley Molnar, they were not able to pull back ahead. Princeton showed why they are so difficult to beat as they edged out the first set 27-25.
The second set looked like it was going to be much like the first as the two teams remained even through the first 29 points as Penn found themselves down by just one at 14-15. However, an 8-2 run at 16-14 put Princeton up 24-16 and was too big of a lead for the Quakers to come back as they fell in the second set 25-18. Penn fell behind early in the third set 4-1 and that was all Princeton needed as a another 4-0 run in the middle of the set put the Quakers down 18-12. While Penn once again showed fight until the very end saving two match points, it was the Tigers who came out ahead 25-18 once again to close out the match 3-0.
What's Next
The Quakers look to bounce back in Ivy League play as they take on Yale and Brown next weekend on the road. Last season Penn split two matches against Brown and fell both times to Yale. The Quakers have done a good job responding so far this season and will look to continue that trend next week.
