PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team (6-6, 1-2 Ivy) earned their first Ivy League win of the season as they outlasted Brown (5-9, 0-3 Ivy) in five sets in a 3-2 (25-11, 15-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-6) victory on the road. It's the first time Penn had defeated Brown away from the Palestra since 2013 and marks new head coach, Katie Schumacher-Cawley's, first Ivy League win. 

After losing against two of the top teams in the conference to Princeton and Yale, the Quakers came out fast looking to earn a win in Ivy play. The Red and Blue set the tone with a dominant 25-11 first set win, however, they would need to show a lot of toughness if they were to earn a victory on the road. They did just that as they bounced back after losing the fourth set 25-21 to win the fifth and deciding set 15-6 and earn their first Ivy League win on the season. 

Inside the Numbers

*Head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley earned her first Ivy League win of her career as the Quakers won their first Ivy League match of the season. It's the first time Penn has won in Rhode Island since 2013 and they now extend their series lead to 49-20. 

*After losing their first two matches that went five sets this season to Campbell and La Salle, the Quakers are now 2-0 in their last two.

*Freshman Raven Sulaimon earned considerable playing time this weekend and could get more after a double-digit kill performance in the win. Sulaimon had a career high 10 kills against Brown with an impressive .310 hit percentage.

*Along with Sulaimon, Hayley Molnar and Parker Jones had double-digit kills, bringing Penn's total to three players with 10 or more kills. Molnar finished with 11 while Jones lead the team with 13 to go with her double-double as she also had 14 digs. 

*Kendall Covington continues to hit at an efficient rate this season as the senior had a .400 hit percentage to go with nine kills. 

*The Quakers had four players with double-digit digs as Sydney Morton (17), Caroline Furrer (16), Jones (14), and Michelle Pereira (11) all got involved. Morton as usual, distributed the ball well as she had 42 assists, her fourth most this season. 

*While winning the match, the Red and Blue actually finished with less kills and less points than Brown. However, the Quakers were much more efficient as they finished with a .221 hit percentage compared to the Bears' .175. 

*With the win, the Quakers are 2-2 in five set matches this season and have won their last two. 

How it Happened

After losing to both Princeton and Yale in their opening two Ivy League matches, the Quakers looked to make some noise in conference play against Brown on the road and to do that a fast start was key. The Red and Blue did just that as they got off to a quick 10-2 lead taking advantage of eight errors from Brown. The Quakers never looked back as they won the first set 25-11. 

In an Ivy League match, it was obvious that every set wasn't going to be that easy. Unlike the first, Penn got off to a slower start in the second and paid the price. Brown tied the match up at a set a piece as the Quakers fell 25-15.

Contrary to the first two sets that were one-sided, the third and fourth sets were much more competitive. While it was Brown that seemed in control in the third as the Quakers had the lead just five times in the set, the Red and Blue never gave up and at 19-19 it paid dividends. Down 19-20, Penn won the next three points to take a 22-20 lead and never gave up the lead. Kills by Molnar and Covington gave their team a set point and with an error from Brown, the Quakers took a very important two-set to one lead. 

Penn fell behind early in the fourth set 6-1 and while they fought back to eventually re-take the lead, it was Brown who went on a 6-0 run down 19-17 to take a 23-20 lead and eventually force a deciding set winning the fourth, 25-21. 

In a final set that only goes to 15 instead of the usual 25, a fast start is crucial and the Quakers made sure to do just that as they took a 6-0 lead with the help of two kills from Molnar. Another 5-0 run in the middle of the set put the Red and Blue up 11-3 and with a kill by Parker Jones, her fourth of the set, the Quakers won the match and earned their first victory in Ivy League play. 

What's Next

After playing their first three Ivy matches on the road, the Quakers will return home next weekend to play both Harvard and Dartmouth at the Palestra. Harvard is 3-0 in Ivy League play with wins against Cornell, Columbia, and Dartmouth while Dartmouth is 2-1 with wins over Cornell and Columbia.