The Penn volleyball team cruised through yet another match last night, as the Quakers easily polished off Villanova in three straight games at the Palestra.
The Quakers (8-3) will begin league play next week with the confidence that comes from a seven-game winning streak, including last night's decisive victory over the Wildcats (8-11).
Penn came out strong in the first game, winning 30-19, and recorded 13 kills in the game, which turned out to be just a warmup for the Quakers.
The Red and Blue went on to pound 18 kills in game two, winning, 30-27, despite a late-game rally by the Wildcats.
The team continued to improve by the third game, ending the short match with a 30-23 win. Penn recorded a .279 hitting percentage and 18 kills in the game.
Despite a strong offensive performance, the Quakers pointed to their defense as the key factor in winning the match.
"We were able to shut down their top hitters," Penn junior middle hitter Heather Janssen said. "We followed the scouting report really well."
The team went into the match focusing on shutting down several of Villanova's prominent hitters -- a goal that was unarguably achieved. The Wildcats were held to a hitting percentage of only .095 and only one player, Kerri Sullivan, was able to record double digits in kills.
"This was our first chance at [facing] a strong middle attack and we handled it very well," Penn coach Kerry Carr said.
"We did a good job capitalizing on their weaknesses," sophomore middle hitter Lynzy Caton said.
Caton had the highest hitting percentage of the match at .375 and recorded 7 kills.
Junior outside hitter Elizabeth Kwak-Hefferan, who is also a Daily Pennsylvanian reporter, provided another outstanding performance as she hit double-digits in kills with 13, the most of any member of the Quakers.
The strong defensive performance was lead by the setter, junior Meghan Schloat. She had 20 digs in the game, with senior Elizabeth Watty close behind, snagging 19.
In addition to being satisfied with the team's performance, Carr was also pleased to be able to further experiment with the lineup.
"I got to see some other people in different positions," she said. "We're beginning to get a gelled starting lineup."
The Red and Blue will head into Ivy League play with a complete squad at last, as the illness and injury that have plagued pre-season appear to have subsided.
"We had our first full practice this week besides Ashley [Smith]," Carr said. "That makes it a lot more fun for me. I have more choices."
A deep bench will undoubtedly be an asset when Penn sets out to defend the Ivy League title against Princeton this Friday.
The Tigers are likely to be the team's toughest opponents so far. The Quakers have yet to see Princeton in action, but they are heading into this weekend with confidence.
"I'm so excited to play Princeton, especially if we play the same way we did tonight," Caton said.
The two rival teams will face off at 7 p.m. at the Palestra.
"People will be out to get us since we won the league last year," Janssen said. "We need to defend our title."
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