WASHINGTON, D.C. - The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team (1-1) ended opening day of the Georgetown Classic with a split of George Mason and Georgetown. The Quakers fell in their opening match, 3-1, to the Patriots, but bounced back to defeat the Hoyas, 16-14, in the fifth game to secure head coach Iain Braddak's first win with the Red and Blue. 


Match One Notes - BOX SCORE

* Grace James dished up a career high 36 assists in the opening match against George Mason. Her previous high was 23 which was set against Delaware State in her sophomore season.

* Carmina Raquel led the team in digs in her first career match. The freshman finished with 10. 

* The Quakers out-hit the Patriots in the third game .387 to .226 with 16 kills to 11, but came up just short, falling 25-21.

* Penn moves to 4-3 all-time against George Mason after winning the previous three meetings. 

Match Two Notes - BOX SCORE 

* Raven Sulaimon also put up career-high numbers. The sophomore surpassed her previous high in kills of 10 as she pounded 17 kills against Georgetown. 

* Freshman Margaret Planek put up the team's only double-double on the day. Planek hit 13 kills, including the match-winner, to go along with 13 digs against the Hoyas. 

* Parker Jones was held without a kill for the first time in her career against Georgetown. The sophomore, however, came up big defensively as she was one of five Quakers with double-digit digs.

* Down 6-9 early in the first set, the Quakers used a 6-0 run, their largest run of the day, to take control and go up 12-9. 

* Penn's win against Georgetown is its first since 2004. The Red and Blue improve to 6-12 against the Hoyas. 

How it Happened

The Quakers began the day as one of just two teams at the Georgetown Classic to be playing their first games of 2018. Penn took an early 7-5 lead out of the gates, but a 6-2 run by George Mason put the Patriots up. The Red and Blue were unable to regain control, falling 25-19 in the opening game. 

Like George Mason in the previous game, it was the Quakers who overcame an early deficit to take the second. Penn took advantage of five Patriot errors to go on a 6-0 run and take a 20-17 lead. Two kills by Sulaimon clinched the second game, 25-21, to tie the match at one game apiece. 

The Red and Blue were unable to overcome early deficits in the third and fourth games as they went down 6-1 early in the third and 7-1 early in the fourth. The Quakers fought from behind, but came up just short in both games, resulting in the eventual 3-1 loss.

Penn looked to end the day on a high note against host-school Georgetown in the final match of the day. The Quakers went down in an early hole once again, but this time, it was a 6-0 run that got them out of it to go up 12-9. Sulaimon led the way with three kills during the run — all of which were assisted by James. The Red and Blue took the lead and never looked back. Georgetown pulled within one, but Cooper helped her team regain in control to win the opening game 25-22. 

In the second game, it was Penn that faltered late. A kill by Taylor Cooper put the Quakers up 23-22, but the Hoyas won the ensuing three points to take the second and tie the match up at 1-1. 

Sparked by freshman Daniela Fornaciari, the Red and Blue used a 5-0 run to go up 23-17 in the third. Sulaimon then put the game away with her 15th kill of the match to give the Quakers a 2-1 lead. 

After losing the fourth 25-19, Penn came out strong in the 'first to 15' final game. A 6-3 advantage gave the Quakers early control, but they found themselves down 11-12 late in the decider. Margaret Planek and Cooper combined for three kills to put the Red and Blue back on top. Finally, on their second match point at 15-14, Planek hit her 13th kill to secure the team's first win of the season. 

What's Next

The Quakers continue the Georgetown Classic on Saturday. It all begins at 10 a.m. against Norfolk State and concludes with UNC-Wilmington at 2 p.m.