The Penn volleyball team will head to the Wagner Invitational this weekend knowing exactly what to expect.
The Red and Blue (4-3) will face Fairfield, Albany and Wagner in their last preliminary matches of the season, and each team appears to be well-stacked, according to head coach Kerry Carr.
Fairfield looks to be the toughest opponent, having won its conference last year. The Quakers were able to watch them play -- and lose -- to Penn State last fall at the NCAA's, where Penn lost to UCLA.
"They're going to be a really good test for us," Carr said. "They are very strong and have some good foreign players."
Albany will also present a challenge. The Quakers will have to focus on shutting down two or three key players to beat the Great Danes, a task that will test the team's mental toughness.
"That game will be a good test of the scouting report, how well our team adjusts to their strengths," Carr said.
Penn will face Wagner in the third match of the tournament, the weakest of the three foes. Carr's goal is to use that game as an opportunity to experiment with different configurations and to give new players a chance to prove themselves on the court.
"We need to look at the depth of our bench and test some people, moving around lineups and testing a few things," Carr said.
In addition to these goals, one player cites consistency as a focus of the upcoming tournament.
"We've had a lot of ups and downs, moments of brilliance and moments of falling apart," Penn junior outside-hitter Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan said.
With a fairly young and inexperienced squad this year, inconsistency can be expected in the early contests of the season. But both Carr and the athletes plan on improving with every match.
"We look at every opportunity to play as an opportunity to build on what we had," Kwak-Hefferan said.
"Our biggest goal from our last tournament is to grow," Carr said.
The Quakers will have to grow without the help of several key players, due to persistent injuries and illnesses.
Junior Lauren Carter is still out with back problems and freshman Ashley Smith suffered a season-ending hand injury this week in practice. Senior Kai Gonsorowski is still recovering from the flu and freshman Alyssa Evans is sick as well.
Still, the team appears to be unshaken.
"Injuries are a part of preseason," Carr said. "We're prepared to handle that."
Overall, Carr is hoping to achieve three objectives: to maintain a strong and consistent mental game, explore the depth of the bench and play to the top of their ability.
"If we take care of all three [objectives]," Carr said. "We'll be really prepared for Princeton and Villanova next week."
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