W. volleyball to vie with Penn for title

As women's volleyball heads to Penn tonight for the final game of the regular season, more is riding on the player's shoulders than ever before. In this much anticipated match the two teams will by vying for the Ivy League title.

With a win, the Tigers (18-6 overall, 11-2 Ivy) will tie the top-seeded Quakers (19-6, 12-1) and force the championship into a playoff match on Saturday. Though both teams would be considered co-champions in the league, only the winner of the playoff match would receive an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

After a huge turnaround this season fueled by critical last-minute victories over Cornell and Harvard, the Princeton squad certainly feels that it has come too far to give up now.

Penn, on the other hand, with a stellar season behind it and the league title to defend, is just as emotionally invested in the upcoming competition. It promises to be an intense and exciting game with extraordinary performances on both sides of the net.

The last time the two teams met on Oct. 3, Penn emerged victorious. Crucial to Penn's win was its efficient hitting game, led by seniors Heather Janssen and Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan.

Kwak-Hefferan, who has the most kills on the team this season, and has a .326 attack percentage, leads a strong senior lineup that is at the heart of the Quaker team. Adding to this force is the deadly offensive combination of Lauren Carter and Janssen, who have helped Penn reach a 15.64 kill per game average, the highest in the league.

Penn, the two-time defending league champion, is also second in the league in hitting with a .248 percentage. These strong offensive statistics, combined with an impressive lack of errors, make the Quakers, traditionally the Tigers' strongest competition, a formidable opponent.

Although Penn relies heavily on its senior class for the big playmaking, it is by no means a shallow team. With members of every year contributing on both offense and defense, the Quakers will take the court not only with a strong starting lineup, but with plenty of arsenal in reserve as well.

Princeton, however, the team with possibly the most depth in the entire league, can handle the Penn attack as long as it keeps the errors to a minimum. In the last match between the two teams, the impact of Princeton's impressive 61 kills was deadened by a grotesque 30 errors. If anything, cutting down on errors will be the key to the Tigers' stance against Penn, especially on the defensive end.

Princeton, therefore, will need to depend heavily upon its league-leading defense in the upcoming match against the powerful Quaker attack. With 19.94 digs per game, and 1.79 blocks, the Tigers hold an important defensive advantage over Penn.

Unfortunately for Princeton, freshman outside hitter Jenny McReynolds suffered a concussion in the Tigers' latest game, making her return questionable. The loss of McReynolds, who has been at the heart of the Tiger defense since the beginning of the season, would make the team very vulnerable defensively.

Another weakness exposed in the last match against Penn was the inconsistency in the Princeton offense. Though the Tigers had a strong third game, their overall hitting percentage for the match was .102, an all-time low for this squad. To beat the Quakers, Princeton will have to pick up its level of offensive play.

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However, it is important to remember that the Princeton team that played on Oct. 3 is by no means the same team that will head out to Penn today. The team has had an entire season to improve and, thanks to Glenn Nelson's talented coaching staff, it certainly has, coming back from a 6-5 overall record to be second in the league.

"Even though we lost to Penn earlier in the season, we're a much different team now, with more camaraderie and energy than ever before," sophomore outside hitter Lauren Grumet said.

After improving all aspects of their game, the Tigers are in control of their own destiny and have a very good chance at winning tonight's game. The team knows that Penn will be coming with everything it has but, if Princeton plays up to its potential, a 2003 championship trophy may well be adorning Coach Nelson's office very soon.