With the weekend approaching, here's a look at some of the key matchups for Penn teams as the fall season comes to a close.
Volleyball vs. Dartmouth and Harvard
The Red and Blue will play their last games in the Palestra this season against Dartmouth and Harvard. Saturday’s matchup against the Big Green is also Senior Night for the Quakers.
“We are super excited because it’s Senior Night on Saturday and because it’s our last home weekend," sophomore defensive specialist Carmina Raquel said. "We are really excited to get to play in the Pal[estra] one last time for the season; we’re hoping to make it count. We’re playing for ourselves, playing for the Pal, and playing for our seniors especially."
The Ivy League volleyball schedule allows teams to play each other twice during the season, with the first matchup providing both teams with information useful in generating a game plan for the second. On the road two weeks ago, the Quakers defeated Dartmouth, 3-1, and fell to Harvard by the same score.
“We are definitely going to review our film against both of the teams,” Raquel said. “I think for us, a really big theme we’ve been talking about in games and in practice is execution, putting our work into action, and being able to execute when it’s game time.”
Against Harvard, the Quakers came up against some tough blocking from the Crimson defense, and they will seek to combat the Crimson's strength in that area this time around.
Penn volleyball closes out the home portion of its schedule this weekend when it hosts Dartmouth and Harvard at the Palestra.
Field hockey vs. Princeton
On Saturday, the Quakers will face No. 8 Princeton at home in their final game of the season. Penn’s 4-2 record in Ivy League play reflects success against multiple Ancient Eight opponents this season, including wins over Yale and Brown most recently. However, Princeton will provide a difficult challenge for the Quakers, who have not beaten the Tigers since 2004.
Princeton’s record in Ivy play is 6-0.The Quakers, led by senior midfielder Alexa Schneck, will look to add a blemish to the Tigers' spotless record and end their season on a high note in the process.
Men's soccer vs. Princeton
Penn men's soccer will also play archrival Princeton at home on Saturday. When the two teams played each other last season, the Quakers lost by a score of 2-1 in a nail-biting overtime game.
This year, the Red and Blue, led by junior midfielder Joey Bhangdia, have shown a significant amount of improvement across the board, sporting a 2-1-2 Ivy League record with two games remaining. If the Quakers can maintain this success to finish out the season, it would be the first time since 2013 that they would finish with a winning record in the Ancient Eight.
Penn's final game of the year will come against winless Harvard, so a victory over Princeton on Saturday at Rhodes Field could carry the team to an impressive end of the season.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate