Penn volleyball takes down Dartmouth in straight sets

Senior weekend started out well for Penn volleyball.

The Quakers strung together consecutive Ivy wins for the first time this season as the Red and Blue took down the Dartmouth in straight sets, 25-22, 25-16, 25-21.

In the first set, Penn (5-6) leapt to a lead. The Big Green (4-7) were able to close the gap only momentarily as the set went on, for just as the Big Green caught up, the Red and Blue would proceed to have a run that increased the gap.

After a four-point run forced Dartmouth to use both its timeouts and put Penn up 22-18, the final points of the set were a back and forth that saw the Quakers end up on top to win, 25-22

Penn remained hot throughout the night, starting their second set off as it did their first. The Quakers found themselves down only once at 5-4. After that the Red and Blue stayed atop Dartmouth, however the Big Green hung in the set until a seven-point run to put Penn up 20-13.

Penn seemed to have the upper hand all night. This was exhibited in the second set by four service aces; one from senior Meghan Connolly; another by junior Michelle Pereira; and two from junior Alexis Genske, including one finish the set, 25-16

The third set proved to be a harder fight than the first two sets, as it saw more lead changes than the first two combined.

However through the dust of battle the Quakers once again emerged victorious, this time winning the match. The final point to end it all came in the form of an ace from freshman libero Emmy Friedler.

Genske helped lead the Red and Blue in the match, notching 13 kills and 20 digs. Senior Kendall Turner also had 10 kills while juniors Ronnie Bither and Alex Caldwell provided 22 and 15 assists, respectively, to the winning cause.

Penn must keep this momentum rolling as Harvard (9-2), tied for the top spot in the Ivy League with Yale, comes to the Palestra on Saturday.

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