Volleyball sweeps two, tied for league lead

The split-second decision to set the ball left or right is arguably the toughest in volleyball.

But Penn's setter, junior Meghan Schloat, somehow managed to make the wise choice every time this weekend.

Keyed by Schloat's 76 total assists, the Quakers defeated Cornell and Columbia in dominant fashion, sweeping both matches.

"Meghan was a huge factor this weekend," Penn coach Kerry Carr said. "The reason our victories were so easy was because she played so smartly."

The Red and Blue extended their winning streak to seven, improving to 8-1 in the Ivy League (17-4 overall) and securing a share of first place in the Ivy League with Harvard.

Penn's win over Cornell was particularly sweet, as the Big Red are responsible for the Quakers' only league loss of the season.

After a shutout loss at Cornell on Oct. 12, Carr constructed an extensive game plan focused primarily on blocking and hitting.

In particular, the Quakers attempted to hit in different directions in order to make their offense more unpredictable.

And the Red and Blue executed their game plan with ease, as Cornell appeared to be in a daze for the entire match.

The Big Red notched only two blocks this weekend after having 14 in the previous match with Penn.

After being selected Ivy League Player of the Week, junior Heather Janssen was under the spotlight heading into the match with Cornell, which aimed to limit her number of kills.

"Cornell's blocks are the best in the Ivy League and were focused on Heather," Carr said. "Still, she played really well. It was huge for her and for the team."

Indeed, the Big Red failed to contain Janssen, who posted 12 kills and a .611 hitting percentage.

Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, who is also a Daily Pennsylvanian general assignments reporter, recorded a game-high 14 kills and 14 digs versus Cornell and 12 digs against Columbia, utilizing a new offensive strategy that she and Carr developed in the past few weeks.

"In New York, Cornell blocked her down the line," Carr said. "In the first game at Penn, Kwak hit crosscourt, drawing the blocks off the line, and then in the next two games she went for kills down the line."

As a testament to the strength of her new approach, Kwak-Hefferan ultimately hit a sharp crosscourt kill that completed the Quakers' defeat of Columbia on Saturday.

And, as expected, Schloat, who ranks third in the Ancient Eight with 11.87 assists per game, continued her strong play with 40 assists versus Cornell.

"Meghan's goal was to steal a look at the block and set in the opposite direction," Carr said. "This is very hard to do as a setter."

But Schloat achieved her objective and in doing so led the Quakers to two Ivy League victories, which will prove to be pivotal in the closing weeks of the season.

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