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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Volleyball Resumes Rivalry With Penn Friday To Open Ivy Slate
September 22, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
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In 34 years of Ivy League women's volleyball, either Penn or Princeton has ended the season as champion 24 times. The two dominant programs in Ivy history played a pair of classics last season, with the road team winning a thriller each time. Princeton will hope to end that trend when it hosts Penn Friday night at Dillon Gym in both teams' Ivy League opener (7 p.m.).
Princeton enters the Ivy League season with a 7-5 record, while Penn stands at 4-5. Princeton made its home debut Tuesday night with a 3-0 loss to Seton Hall. While the Tigers didn't take a set, they rallied in each to force a late tie and dropped each by only two points. Princeton actually recorded more hits and digs, and hit at a higher percentage, but a 12-1 edge in service aces pushed the Pirates to victory.
Two of the five Ivy League leaders in kills will take center stage Friday night. Princeton senior tri-captain Cathryn Quinn got off to a strong start this season and has made her presence felt in several statistical categories; she ranks first in the Ivy League in points (4.50), third in both kills (3.49) and blocks (1.07) and sixth in hitting percentage (.323). Penn junior Lauren Martin ranks fifth in the Ivy League with 3.31 kills per set.
Last season featured a pair of wild 3-2 matches between the two local rivals. In the opener at The Palestra, Princeton dropped the first two games before winning a tight 25-23 third set. The Tigers carried that momentum throughout and, led by Lydia Rudnick's 26 kills, stunned the Quakers with a 3-2 win.
Penn turned the tables in the finale in a match that simply couldn't have been closer. Penn fought off four match balls and got double-digit kills from four different players in a 25-22, 25-27, 24-26, 29-27, 16-14 victory that clinched a share of the Ivy League title at Dillon Gym.
Both teams have split the last six meetings, while Princeton holds a slim 11-9 edge since the Ivy League went to the double-round robin format in 2001.