Volleyball holds court in pair of wins

It's amazing what some enthusiastic fans can do for a team -- just ask Penn volleyball coach Kerry Carr.

The Penn volleyball team knocked off first-place and previously undefeated Harvard on Friday night in front of an abnormally large and energetic crowd. Hundreds of basketball fans, who took a break from "The Line," supplemented the usual volleyball crowd to provide Penn with an unusual home court advantage.

"The crowd was a huge factor," Penn coach Kerry Carr said. "If we could get crowds like that every time we'd go undefeated at home."

"The fans totally helped," freshman Michelle Kauffman said. "They couldn't stop our momentum."

With the win, the Quakers (6-1) moved into a tie for first place with the Crimson, who came into the match undefeated in the Ivy League.

The match began with both teams performing well, matching each other point-for-point until Penn pulled ahead in the later minutes, winning, 30-24.

The Crimson took the second game, 30-24, lead by their star middle-hitter and two-time Ivy League Player of the Week, Kaego Ogbechie, who had 19 kills and two solo blocks in the match.

In the third game, things really began to get exciting, as the Quakers started off with a commanding 11-0 run. Freshman Cara Thomason had 11 straight serves and four kills -- an impressive opening that ignited the crowd.

The Crimson began to creep back, coming within nine points of the lead, but the early deficit proved to be too large and Penn won decisively, 30-15.

The fourth and final game of the match proceeded in much the same way, with the Quakers jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Harvard again made an attempt at a comeback, but the consistent serving of the Penn squad combined with its strong defense squashed the Crimson's efforts. The Red and Blue grabbed the last game, 30-20.

Penn's offensive charge was lead by junior Heather Janssen, who had a .537 hitting percentage and a career-high 24 kills.

Janssen overwhelmingly dominated her Crimson counterpart, Ogbechie, who was held to 19 kills and committed 10 errors.

Carr attributes much of the Quakers' success to Penn's win in the battle of the middle hitters. The other major factor she cited was strong serving.

"The number one thing we did is served tough," Carr said.

Thomason added to the serving force with her consistent performance at the line. The newcomer served for the majority of the points in game three and contributed three of the seven team service aces.

Notable defensive performances were had by senior Liz Watty, who had a game-high 23 digs as well as Thomason, with 17.

The win over Harvard was necessary to keep Penn in the running for another Ivy League title.

"This was huge," Carr said. "What it does is put us even with them again -- each game is important to winning the title."

The crushing of the Crimson also provided a confidence boost going into the Dartmouth game.

The Quakers coasted through the match, beating the Big Green in three straight matches, 30-19, 30-20, and 30-23. The loss capped off Dartmouth's seventh Ivy League loss of the season.

The Red and Blue hit .357 in the match and improved their Ivy League record to 6-1.

Watty and Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, who is also a Daily Pennsylvanian reporter, combined for 35 kills. Kwak-Hefferan also added 13 digs and Thomason chipped in with 17.

Despite their recent success, the Quakers are sticking to their "confident, not cocky" motto.

"We don't want to underestimate our opponents," Thomason said. "We know that if we play up to our potential we'll win."

A few hundred cheering fans wouldn't hurt either.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.