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Penn Clinches Outright Volleyball Title
Monday, November 16, 2009
Courtesy: Penn Athletic Communications
PHILADELPHIA - The Quakers clinched the Ivy title and a trip to the NCAA Championship with a 3-1 win against Dartmouth on Saturday.
Penn won by scores of 26-24, 25-17, 22-25 and 25-16 to take down a pesky Dartmouth squad. The Red and Blue outhit the Big Green .250-.178 and also recorded 20 more kills (68-48) than its opponent. Senior Elizabeth Semmens led the Quaker attack with 22 kills and also added seven digs, while freshman Lauren Martin hit a team-high .548 with 20 kills and a career-high five total blocks.
In the first set it was Dartmouth who came out hitting, jumping out to a 6-2 advantage. Penn came back to tie it at ten, but a 5-0 run by the Big Green prompted a timeout. Julia Swanson had a kill after the break to make it 15-11. The kill sparked a 9-3 run which left the Quakers on the right side of a 20-18 score.
Dartmouth tied it back up at 21, but a kill by Swanson and a Big Green attack error put Penn in front 23-21. A Red and Blue attack error and an Ashley Hawkins kill made it 24-22, however two straight strikes by Morgan Covington evened it up at 24 forcing another Penn timeout. Elizabeth Semmens put the Quakers back up 25-24 and ended it with her second kill in as many points.
The Red and Blue opened with a 6-3 run in the second set before Dartmouth came back to tie it at nine. Penn didn't allow the Big Green to take the lead, going on an 8-2 streak to push the advantage to six at 17-11. Dartmouth wouldn't get any closer than six the rest of the way as the Quakers won it 25-17.
The Big Green wouldn't go down quietly, taking a 6-2 lead to open the third set. Penn was unable to get even with Dartmouth, getting only as close at one at 10-9. The deficit continued to hover between four and two as the Big Green maintained the lead for the remainder of the set, finishing with a 25-22 victory.
In the final set, the Quakers wouldn't be denied as they scored the first four points and seven of the first nine. A run by Dartmouth put them within three at 11-8, however a 6-1 run by Penn made it 17-9. The Red and Blue upped its lead to 20-10 and then traded points with the Big Green for the remainder of the set, finishing with the 25-16 win.
Dartmouth senior Morgan Convington was the leading hitter for the Big Green with 12 kills and a .414 attack percentage, while sophomore Madeline Baird had a team-high 21 digs. The Quakers out dug the Big Green 78-73, behind 28 from junior Madison Wojciechowski and 14 from fellow classmate Julia Swanson. Swanson also hit .300 and added 15 kills in the victory.
Penn improves to 21-5 and 12-1 in the Ivy League with the win and finishes regular season play on Wednesday with a match against rival Princeton at 7 p.m.
