Volleyball surprises Ivy League foes

Less than three months ago, Penn coach Kerry Carr viewed the 2002 volleyball season as a "rebuilding year."

On Friday, the Red and Blue will battle No. 13 Penn State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in State College, Pa.

Penn volleyball finished last season with an Ivy League championship and a strong showing against then No. 8 UCLA.

That match was a great achievment for the Penn volleyball program, as it marked the Quakers' first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

And yet somehow, after losing their four-year starting setter Jodie Antypas and two other seniors, the Red and Blue have improved on last year's historic season, finishing 22-4 overall and 13-1 in the Ivy League.

"I expected that through hard work, we would be winning by midseason," Carr said. "Our only hope [for an Ivy championship] was that the other Ivy teams were young too. But I never expected this."

Indeed, Penn's victorious ways began from the beginning of the season as it won its first two Ivy matches.

The Quakers experienced a minor setback after being shutout by Cornell but bounced back to win their last 11 Ivy matches and 21 of their final 22, including a 3-0 defeat of the Big Red.

Penn's most notable achievement this season, according to Carr, was its victories over Harvard, who returned all six starters, including 2001 and 2002 Ivy League MVP Kaego Ogbechie.

"Harvard had the most talent in the League," Carr said. "But we were so strong mentally and played with such confidence that we were able to win both matches."

The Red and Blue first defeated Harvard, 3-1, at the Palestra on Oct. 25.

In their second meeting, Penn crushed the Crimson, 3-0, on Harvard's home floor.

"This was the turning point of the season for us," Carr said. "People began to realize, 'Wow, Penn really is that good!'"

But how did the relatively inexperienced Penn squad manage to have such a successful season?

The answer to that lies in the 2002 All-Ivy selections.

After dominating Ivy play, Penn's lone selection on the All-Ivy first team was junior Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, a general assignments reporter for The Daily Pennsylvanian, whose 3.76 kills and 3.42 digs per game ranked sixth in the Ivy League.

Princeton finished second in the Ivy League and had two players on the All-Ivy first team. In addition, third-place Harvard's Ogbechie was named Ivy League Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Penn's underrepresentation on the All-Ivy first team reflects its unique spread-out attack, which is "extremely hard to defend," Carr said.

"I wouldn't trade any of our players for the MVP [Ogbechie]," Carr said. "They play so well together, and the team chemistry is just so strong."

Still, five of the Quakers' six starters were All-Ivy selections. Juniors Meghan Schloat and Heather Janssen were named to the second team, while senior co-captain Stacey Carter and freshman Cara Thomason were honorable mention selections.

While Penn's 13-1 Ivy record apparently did not win the respect of Ivy League coaches, who vote for the All-Ivy teams, it did catch the eye of the NCAA Tournament committee.

The Quakers' No. 8 ranking in the Northeast region, its highest in the program's history, also contributed to its slightly more favorable NCAA matchup.

Penn State still poses a great challenge to the Red and Blue.

Carr likened the matchup to the Penn men's basketball team playing North Carolina.

"We have a slim chance at knocking off the No. 13 seed," Carr said. "Our goal was just to get here."

But Carr and assistant coach Orlin Jespersen have devised a gameplan that, if executed, according to Carr, will produce a Penn victory Friday night.

Furthermore, if the Nittany Lions underestimate the Penn squad -- which seems to be a common mistake this season among coaches and teams alike -- the Red and Blue stand a good chance at winning.

A little bit of luck, which Carr has coined "Penn magic," wouldn't hurt either.

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