Volleyball hosts Sheraton invite

The Penn volleyball team looks to sharpen its mental game this weekend as the Quakers compete in their second tournament in a row.

This weekend, Penn hosts the fourth- annual Sheraton Invitational at the Palestra.

"Primarily, we want to gain experience against some tough teams," Penn coach Kerry Carr said. "We need to learn how to win against these teams."

The Sheraton Invitational will bring a total of four teams to West Philadelphia. The event features squads from St. John's, Fordham, Manhattan and Elon -- all top teams in their respective conferences.

Last weekend the Quakers finished 1-2 performance at the Georgetown Classic. With their first tournament competition behind them, they have made mental toughness a priority.

"We've had some competitive experience," Carr said, "and now it's time to gain experience with the mental part of the game."

The Penn players echoed the words of their coach.

"As a team we know we have the talent," junior Meghan Schloat said. "But without the right mindset -- without being mentally prepared -- we're not going to get the job done."

"The mental game is always the most important part," junior Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan said. "Once we have that down, the physical part will just come with it."

The Invitational will run from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, allowing for two solid days of competiton. Five matches are scheduled for each day, with Penn slotted to compete at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 pm on both days.

The Quakers will face an initial handicap in the tournament as they will meet teams that have had the opportunity to compete much longer than Ivy-League regulations permit. NCAA rules sllow teams to begin fall practice August 9, while Ivy teams cannot start until August 28.

Consequently, the four teams that Penn hosts this weekend already have endured a significantly greater amount of match competition than the home team.

Still Penn is looking at the meet as merely a preparation for Ivy competition, and therefore is not fazed by its lack of match readiness.

"Our goal is to win the Ivy Championship," Carr explained. "We're not aiming to be NCAA champs.

"The fact that these teams have had more experience is not seen as a disadvantage -- it's seen as more of a learning opportunity for us.

The shiftiness of the Quakers' team is further magnified when one realizes that Penn has yet to set a definitive starting team.

"We don't have a starting line-up yet," Carr said, "so we're going to try a lot of different line-ups out there."

Still, Penn's strength lies in the depth of its bench. As such, the defending the Ivy League champions are searching the right combination to propel itself for the repeat and are using the tournament as testing grounds.

"Hopefully we'll have some leaders emerge, and at some point we'd like to see a starting line-up emerge."

Despite the fact the Red and Blue have minimized the important of their record this week, Penn is still confident that it can make an impressive showing.

"I think we can be strong," Schloat said.

"We're definitely heading into the weekend on a high note," Kwak-Hefferan said. "I'm excited."

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