Volleyball: An Ivy tease, a Patriot gauntlet

Penn volleyball coach Kerry Carr has a prime scouting opportunity this weekend.

When she takes her team to the American Volleyball Tournament in D.C., four Ivy League teams will be on display.

It's a Patriot-Ivy League showdown as Penn, Columbia, Cornell and Harvard will face off against Army, Navy, American and Lafayette.

But it will just be a tease of Ancient Eight play - none of the Ivy squads play each other.

"This will be a great showing [of] how two academic leagues play and which one is stronger," Carr said. "I think the Ivy League teams will dominate."

After gaining a few notches on their belt last weekend, the Quakers will look for a better showing than last week's 0-3 run. In the Quakers' first time on the court, they dropped matches to Fairfield, Stony Brook and Seton Hall.

The starting lineups for this weekend's matches have not been determined yet, but Carr is expecting a few freshmen to see some action.

"We haven't decided our travel team yet," Carr said. "There are a bunch of spots up in the air and [the lineup] will be decided in practice."

But the upperclassmen have been supportive.

"I don't think it is the upperclassman-versus-freshmen thing," Carr said.

Last weekend was just the beginning of the Quakers' journey, but many of the teams Penn will face this weekend began their quests in early August. The Ivy League starts its matches about three weeks behind the other leagues due to restrictions on the number of games allowed.

"These two weeks are considered catch-up for us," Carr said.

With such little experience, Carr anticipated that her team will hit some rough patches. After the starting lineup is finalized and the team feels comfortable they will see some wins, she said.

Because Penn's defense impressed last weekend, the Quakers have been concentrating on offense for this week.

"Experience has a lot to do with the skill level," Carr said. "Right now we are not in the same boat, but we will catch up."

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