PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team is ready to serve it up for the 2019 season this weekend, as the Quakers travel to the Lehigh Valley for the Crosstown Invitational. Penn will be at Lehigh on Friday afternoon for a pair of matches, facing Maryland-Eastern Shore at 1 p.m. and the host Mountain Hawks at 4 p.m. On Saturday, the Red and Blue will be at nearby Lafayette to face the Leopards at noon.
 
Of the three matches, only the Lehigh match will be televised. You can watch the Quakers and Mountain Hawks square off on the Patriot League Network.
 
"The team came in ready to work and has demonstrated a lot of competitive fire in the gym," said head coach Iain Braddak, who enters his second year at the helm. "This is one of the most impressive squads that I've worked with over the course of my career. Overall, it is so great to have a lot of depth in every position this year, and the energy in the gym is strong. 
 
"We are excited to get going this weekend and thrilled to have the opportunity to compete against some challenging opponents. Going into the weekend, our top priorities are to play our game, force our opponents to match our style of play, and emphasize our serve and pass games. We are driven to raising the bar for Penn Volleyball, and committed to excellence throughout this entire season. This weekend will be a great first test. "
 
Taking a quick look at the returning players, the headliners are juniors Parker Jones and Raven Sulaimon, both of whom were honorable mention All-Ivy picks last year. Jones also was a second-team All-Ivy pick as a freshman in 2017. They led Penn in kills last year, Sulaimon with 253 and Jones with 229.
 
Penn also returns senior Madison Goldstein who played every set last year and was third on the team with 178 kills. Jones also led the Red and Blue with 217 digs in 2018, while Goldstein was second with 49 blocks.
 
The Quakers also return Margaret Planek, who played 86 of 89 sets and finished the season with 53 kills and 132 digs, and Carmina Raquel who had 103 digs in 79 sets played. Kylie Kulinski had 204 assists last season which is tops among returning players, and Daniela Fornaciari had 40 blocks in 47 sets last year.
 
The 2019 roster includes five freshmen: Caroline Douglas, Elizabeth Ford, Taylor Fourticq, Autumn Leak and Madeline McGregor and Autumn Leak. Do not be surprised to see the Class of 2023 making an immediate impact on the lineup.
 
This weekend's season-opening tournament will serve as Penn's only tune-up before the Quakers host the Valley Forge Sports Invitational next weekend at The Palestra.