DOVER, Del. – The University of Pennsylvania volleyball team split the first two sets with NJIT in its finale at the Delaware State Tournament on Saturday, but the Quakers rolled over the Highlanders in the third and fourth sets to gain a 3-1 victory in their final test heading into Ivy League play next weekend.
 
Set scores were 25-11, 22-25, 25-15, 25-14.
 
Penn is now 2-8 on the season, while NJIT fell to 5-8.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Sophomore Claire Deller and freshman Bella Rittenberg were named to the all-tournament team.

*Penn hit .372 in Saturday's second match, a season high.
 
*Rittenberg led the attack in Saturday's nightcap, firing a season-best 19 kills and hitting a staggering .667 in the match. She also had nine digs, finishing one shy of a double-double, and added a service ace and a block solo.
 
*Senior Madison Risch broke out, coming up with 11 kills and hitting .360 .She also had 12 digs for the double-double and led all players with four service aces.
 
*Junior co-captain Ella Green had nine kills, a season high, and hit a season-best .368.
 
*Sophomore Jalen Tennyson had six kills and hit .500 in the match, and also led all players with three block solos.
 
*Senior Jo Armstrong had 47 assists from her setter position and added seven digs.
 
*Sophomore Abigail Reid went the distance in the libero jersey and led all players with 18 digs; she was followed by Risch, Rittenberg, and senior Julia Bradshaw.
 
*Deller had five kills, six digs, and two block solos.
 
How It Happened
Penn blew out to a big lead early in Saturday's first set, scoring the first four points, but it was at 6-3 where the Quakers really asserted themselves. They scored the next four points for a 10-3 lead, then responded to a Highlander point with six more. Overall, it was a 10-1 run that pushed the lead to 16-4 and essentially put this set to bed. Rittenberg hit .857 in the set (6K-0E-7A) while Zada Sanger had four kills on six attacks (.667 hitting percentage) and Tennyson had three kills on four attacks (.750). Reid had eight digs.
 
The second set was much closer. The teams were tied eight times to 9-9, but a seven-point NJIT run put the Highlanders in front by 15-9. Penn got within three at 19-16 and as close as two at 23-21, but a Sara Siefert kill gave NJIT the 25-22 victory and knotted things at 1-1. Risch had five kills in the set, hitting .300, while Rittenberg had three kills on six attacks (.500).
 
The teams were then tied 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 in the third set before a Rittenberg kill and service ace set Penn off on a 7-1 run and a 10-4 lead. That advantage expanded to seven at 16-9, eight at 18-10, and the final blow was a 4-1 run to close things out. Rittenberg had five kills on six attacks (.833) while Risch had three kills on seven attacks (.429).
 
The Quakers learned their lesson from the second set: don't be fooled by prosperity. Penn jumped in front 4-3 and then reeled off six straight points. NJIT answered with five straight points to get back within two, but at 11-9 a Green kill and Armstrong ace were part of a four-point run to make it 15-9. NJIT got one of them back on a Penn attack error, but the Red and Blue rallied with four more in a row to get the lead to 19-10 and cruised to the win from there. Rittenberg had her final five kills, while Green had four and Tennyson three in the set.
 
Up Next
Penn gets into Ivy League play next weekend, meeting travel partner Princeton in a home-and-home series. The Quakers host the Tigers Friday night at 7 p.m., and then 22 hours later the teams will turn around and meet again on Old Nassau (5 p.m. first serve).