CHICAGO – The University of Pennsylvania volleyball team fell in its final match at the DePaul Invitational on Saturday, as the host Blue Demons were able to rally back from a first-set loss to beat the Quakers 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-20).
Quaker Notemeal
*Junior captain
Autumn Leak once again led the way for Penn, as she finished one kill shy of a career high with 20 and hit .292 in the match. Leak also had seven digs and two block assists.
*Leak was named to the DePaul Invitational All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the tournament's final match.
*In a homecoming match for her and three of her teammates, senior captain
Margaret Planek had 10 kills and hit .360 against DePaul. She also had three digs and four block assists.
*Senior
Daniela Fornaciari hit .400 on Saturday, posting six kills without an error. She also had Penn's only block solo as well as five block assists.
*Another of the Chicagoans on Penn's roster, junior
Madeline McGregor, had five kills and three block assists.
*Sophomore
Emerson Flornes had a team-high six block assists on Saturday.
*Penn spread the wealth as freshman
Sydney Ormiston had 19 assists, senior
Kylie Kulinski had 14 and junior libero
Caroline Douglas had eight. Douglas also led the Red and Blue with 14 digs, while Kulinski had nine as well as both of Penn's service aces.
*Freshman
Kat Alexander was the other Penn player to reach double figures in digs (10).
How It Happened
Penn started a bit sleepy with a Saturday morning start in Chicago, giving up the first four points of the match. However, once the Quakers got rolling they couldn't be stopped. Planek got the Red and Blue's first two points via the kill, helping them get level at 4-4, and later in the set a four-point Penn run turned a 9-8 deficit into a 12-9 lead and a DePaul timeout. Penn never trailed again, led primarily by Leak who had six kills without an error.
The teams were tied eight separate times up to 13-13 in the second set, but a six-point DePaul run put the Demons on top 19-13. Penn got no closer than five points the rest of the way as the hosts tied things up in sets.
Penn got out quickly in the critical third set, taking an 8-3 lead off a Fornaciari kill. It was still a five-point lead at 14-9 when DePaul roared back with five points in a row. The teams then were tied at 16, 17, 18 and 19 before a trio of points by the Blue Demons made it 22-19. A Leak kill and a bad set by DePaul made it a one-point set, and a Planek kill answered a Demons point for 23-22. However, a Penn attack error and a DePaul kill settled matters and put the hosts in front.
Needing a win, Penn jumped out 4-1 to start the fourth set which held until DePaul caught up at 8-8. The score was 10-10 when the Quakers used a 6-2 run that was spurred by kills from four different players. A critical juncture occured after DePaul closed a 17-13 gap to 17-15, as the Red and Blue had attack errors on three consecutive points. That put the Demons and front and they kept it going, the run eventually reaching eight straight points for a 21-17 lead. A Leak kill and an attack error got Penn within two, but DePaul responded with kills for the next two points and that seemed to take the wind out of the Quakers' sails.
Up Next
Penn (3-3) will make a quick trip up to Lehigh on Tuesday night to face the Mountain Hawks at 7 p.m.
#FightOnPenn
