Set for improvement

The common saying "There's always next year" may apply well to the Penn volleyball team. But for over half the team, a better saying would be "There's always the next three years." The Quakers are an incredibly young team this year, with nine of the 15 members being freshmen. Exacerbating the lack of experience for the Quakers is the fact that this year's squad sports zero seniors and only three juniors. There is, however, reason to believe that this year's team could surprise some people and make noise in the Ivies. "We are a young team, there's no denying it," junior Kelly Szczerba said. "But most of us upperclassmen have been playing a lot since we were freshmen, so that's a big plus." No matter how well Penn's veteran players perform, there is no doubt that the Quakers will have to rely on this year's huge recruiting class if they are to excel. "Our upperclassmen are in a definite leadership role this season, but at the same time they are being challenged for playing time by the younger players," Penn coach Kerry Major said. Penn is looking to turn in its first winning season since 1996 and improve on last year's mark of 3-4 in the Ivies. Penn finished last season at 15-15 overall. The Quakers have not won the Ivy League Championship since 1990. Juniors Jodie Antypas, Stephanie Horan and Szczerba will play a vital role for Penn in its 2000 campaign. Antypas, Penn's starting setter since she arrived here two years ago, currently sits in fourth place on the Quakers all-time career assist list with 1,828. Antypas will be looking to build on a successful 1999 season that saw her rack up 1,032 assists. Horan played brilliantly in 1999, leading Penn in kills, aces and digs. Horan, who was named second team All-Ivy last year, averaged an impressive 3.25 kills per game last year. Szczerba, who led the Quakers in blocks last year with 120, is the final piece of Penn's threesome of juniors. Szczerba showed remarkable improvement last year, hitting .249 and registering 257 kills. "We [juniors] have to be leaders on this team and help some of the younger players along in their game," Szczerba said. "But, fortunately, everyone on this team seems to understand what it takes at this level and seems to be willing to make the commitment." With no seniors to handle the burden, Major will also look to her four sophomores to provide leadership. Defensive specialists Kai Gonsorowski and Alexis Zimbalist and co-captain Stacey Carter will be relied upon heavily this year -- especially once Carter returns from a foot injury sustained over the weekend at William and Mary. Sophomore Liz Watty should benefit from increased experience during the spring season and could give Major some quality minutes. Carter finished with impressive numbers for a freshman in 1999. She wrapped up the year with 116 kills and a .244 hitting percentage. The highlight of Carter's season had to be against Columbia when she nailed 15 kills and assisted on four blocks. "I think the freshmen are doing great so far because they seem to be fitting right in, and we're not skipping a beat," Carter said. "But at the same time, I still feel more pressure as a sophomore because we are so young." The primary concern for Major has to be figuring out exactly how to combine the inexperienced, but talented, freshmen with the proven upperclassmen. Against Loyola last weekend, Major displayed the depth she believes her team possesses by playing all 15 players in a 3-0 manhandling of the Greyhounds. "I saw a great deal of improvement from Friday to late Saturday," Major said. "In that third game against Lehigh, we had a lot of people playing in their first college match. For the most part, I think everyone held it together well." The match against Lehigh was the final of three that the Quakers played in their season-opening tournament at William and Mary. After William and Mary shredded Penn 3-0, the Quakers were able to rebound and win two straight on Saturday to raise their mark to 2-1 on the year. Next up for the Red and Blue is the home opener this Wednesday against Lehigh at the Palestra. "Lehigh has always been a good team, and they have some great recruits this year," Major said. "It should be neat on Wednesday. It's always fun to see youth going against youth."

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