On Saturday, the Princeton women’s volleyball team will travel to the Palestra for a rematch against rivals University of Pennsylvania. The Tigers (8-8 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) will be looking to avenge an early season loss to the Quakers (9-10, 3-4), who beat Princeton three sets to one in Dillon Gymnasium.
Fortunately for Princeton, the team has progressed drastically since the beginning of the season when it first adopted the new 6-2 format. The Tigers’ loss to Penn was the beginning of a three-game losing streak to start the Ivy League Conference. Since then Princeton has returned in full swing, winning its next three games against Columbia, Cornell University and Brown before falling to Yale. Defeating Penn this weekend would be a testament to the team’s improvement during the season.
“I think when we first played them, it was the first game of the year, we took a different line-up running a 6-2, so there were a lot of new things we were still getting used to,” senior right-side hitter Kendall Peterkin said. “And I think we were really focused on how they were playing and a big part of volleyball is focusing on how our team is playing on our side.”
Despite the early season loss, the Tigers are confident they can reclaim victory on Penn’s home court. Indeed, last year Princeton handily defeated the Quakers at the Palestra in three sets. The Tigers managed to maintain a double figure victory in each set. This year Princeton will be heading into the game with a revenge mentality using their defeat as motivation to silence a spirited home crowd.
The key to the Tigers’ success this weekend may lie in their defense. “Penn is kind of a frustrating team: they are very good at defense, but if we can force them to make the mistakes so they will give us the point rather than us getting the points, it will really help us,” Peterkin said. Princeton will need to stay focused on their own game, rather than focusing on the opposition.
In addition to being significant for team morale, the match against the Quakers is particularly important for the Tigers’ position in the league. At the moment, Princeton is tied with Penn, as well as Brown and Columbia, for fourth place. A win would propel Princeton to third, within striking distance of second-place Harvard (9-8, 5-2) and Yale (10-6, 5-2).
The match will also mark the beginning of the second half of the Ivy League Conference. The Tigers have now faced all their Ivy League rivals once and will prepare for a second round in the coming weeks. However, now with a month’s experience in the Ivy Conference, the Princeton squad is confident that it can finish the season on a high note.
In fact, after weathering an early storm, the Orange and Black appear ready to compete for a NCAA bid. While Princeton is still a long way from the top of the table, the team is optimistic that the season will present it with the opportunities it needs for a successful season.
“We have progressed a lot. Our chemistry as a team, playing for each other, has definitely developed and become stronger throughout the season,” Peterkin said. “We are definitely a different team both in terms of style and chemistry.”
But at the moment, Princeton is simply focused on preparing for Penn.
“Penn has always been a big rival since they are our travel partner. And so we only have one match this weekend, so I think we will have a lot of rest and focus just for one team,” Peterkin said. “We can expect to really focus on them specifically and go in there and give them what they gave us.”
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