W. volleyball eases by Penn

It was textbook volleyball as the women's team crushed Penn 15-6, 15-9, 16-14 at Dillon Gym Friday night. Based purely on the fundamentals, the Tigers (14-7 overall, 4-1 Ivy League) out-dug, outset and out-hit the visiting Quakers (17-7, 3-2) — and have the numbers to prove it.

Playing almost flawlessly for the entire match, Princeton racked up team totals of 69 digs, 56 sets and 64 kills to outmatch its Ivy League rival — which put up only 51, 34 and 35, respectively.

From the start, the Tigers controlled the court, jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the first game thanks to a string of solid serves from senior captain Sabrina King. Princeton, maintained this momentum for the next 10 points, never letting the Quakers earn more than two points per rotation.

In the second game, Penn fought back by tooling the Tiger block early in the game to earn a 5-0 lead. Princeton fought back, however, to tie the game at nine on a powerful cross-court kill from King. Having regained their fire, the Tigers followed with a six-point run behind consistent serving from senior captain Emily Brown and powerful hitting from freshman outside Kellie Cramm. Princeton took the game, 15-9.

In an exciting third game, the Tigers and the Quakers battled it out with long, intense rallies that kept the score tight, with neither team ever earning more than a two-point lead. At 14-12 — Penn's game-point — King used the block to earn a sideout, and Princeton followed with consecutive blocks from Brown and junior setter Ana Yoerg to tie the game at 14. Steady defense and powerful hitting quickly earned the Tigers the next two points to claim the game and the match.

Get smart

Cramm was almost unstoppable on the outside as she drilled the ball past the Quaker block and racked up a match-high 22 kills — twice as many as the leading Penn hitter. But more than just outhitting the Quakers, Princeton also outsmarted the visitors. Led on the outside by Cramm and King, the Tigers mixed their aggressive attack with off-speed shots and short tips over the block, continually keeping the Penn defense on its toes.

"Kellie played really well and really smart," Yoerg said. "She focused on where to hit the ball, not just how hard, and that made a huge difference for us."

In addition to outstanding setting, Yoerg — who had 46 assists — also stepped up with several unexpected left-handed dumps at the net, which repeatedly caught the Quakers off-guard.

While the Tigers dominated at the net, it was their superior defense that truly clinched the match in the end. With a team total 69 digs — including 12 from King and 11 from freshman defensive specialist Kerry Song — Princeton rarely let the ball hit the floor.

'Dug their hits'

"Kerry dug a ton of balls," assistant coach Cathy Skinner said. "The defense really kept us in the match. Penn may have been the best Ivy League team we've seen so far, but our defenders picked up their tips and dug their hits."

The Tigers, now tied for first in the Ivy League, return to Dillon Gym this weekend to finish their league matches. Princeton takes on cellar-dweller Columbia Friday at 7:30 p.m. before it tries to push Cornell out of the top spot Saturday at 4 p.m.