Penn volleyball continued its winning streak against Columbia with a 3-0 sweep to close out the season series. The win makes this one of Penn’s most competitive seasons in seven years, and the most competitive under coach Meredith Schamun’s four seasons at the helm of the program.
Although the Lions were quick to claim the first point of the match, it didn’t take long for the Quakers to settle into set one. Tough service pressure from freshman middle blocker Jenniya Lane forced receive errors from the Lions, and Lane’s 5-0 run at the service line resulted in a quick Columbia timeout.
However, Penn could not be stopped. Freshman outside hitter Ellie Siskin had a notable first set performance notching a total of 4 kills along with a block making the score 2-11, forcing the Lions to call their second and final timeout of the set. Ultimately commanding performances from sophomore outside hitter Zada Sanger and sophomore right-side hitter Bella Rittenberg squashed any hopes of a Lion comeback.
Penn’s aggressive service pressure, dominance at the net, and defensive relentlessness were too much for the Lions to handle, as they ultimately fell short in set one 25-7 to the Quakers.
“The last time we played Columbia, we know we didn’t play great, and so I think this whole weekend is us wanting to [play] these games better. We won against Columbia last time around, but it wasn’t a great match for either team," Schamun said. "What we can do is focus on the future and take care of business that we didn't take care of last time.”
Coming off a strong first set win, the Quakers looked to continue building momentum. Although the Lions were narrowly trailing early on in set two, a 4-0 service run by sophomore libero/defensive specialist Elsa McDermott, and vicious kills from Sanger, gave Penn the 11-6 advantage and forced yet another Columbia timeout. The Lions weren’t looking to go out without a fight though.
A string of kills from both Columbia’s opposite Eva Atkins and middle blocker Harper Justema were enough to rally the Lions back into the set and even give them a two point advantage with the score at 19-17. Down two and coming out of a timeout, Penn volleyball looked to regroup and reassert its presence at the net. Freshman middle blocker Adell Murray came up big for the Quakers, contributing a total of 10 kills on 13 attempts for a .692 hitting percentage, along with three blocks. Murray’s stellar performance at the net helped the Quakers claim a second set win over the Columbia 25-23.
“As a team we know when we can compete better," Murray said. "I think it’s really easy when you all mutually know that you [can] play at a higher level than you’re playing at, so it’s easy to lock into the mindset that we have to push ourselves into another gear to show our dominance across the net.”
Similarly to set one, the Quakers started off set three on fire. Back to back aces by Siskin, and blocks from both Murray and Sanger gave Penn an early 5-0 lead over the Lions. Although Columbia fought hard in set three, the continual offensive production from Sanger, Murray, Rittenberg, and Siskin, were too much for the Lions as they fell short 25-10.
Penn volleyball will take on Harvard this Friday at 7 p.m. in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a chance at an Ivy League Tournament berth still on the line.
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