In its first Ivy League doubleheader at home this season, the Dartmouth women's volleyball team fell to both the powerhouse University of Pennsylvania and to Princeton in four sets, dropping Dartmouth to a third-place tie with Harvard and Cornell in the Ivy League.
After winning the first three league matchups of the season, the Big Green (7-9, 3-3 Ivy) has now lost its last three.
"As a team, I think we lost sight of our goals for the match and underestimated our opponent," co-captain Morgan Covington '10 said.
Penn (14-4, 5-0 Ivy) continued to dominate Ivy foes, remaining undefeated after last weekend's doubleheader. Princeton (4-12, 2-3 Ivy) managed to salvage its road trip, beating the Big Green after a five-set loss to Harvard on Friday.
Seeking long-overdue redemption, Dartmouth looked to secure its first victory against either Penn or Princeton in over three years.
On Friday night, players from both teams donned pink jerseys to promote the Dig Pink National Breast Cancer Awareness Rally held by the Big Green squad.
Things were less than rosy for Dartmouth throughout the match.
The first set saw several lead changes and momentum shifts, as both teams looked to capture the opening frame. An 8-0 Quaker run gave Penn a six-point lead before the Big Green steadily crawled back to claim a four-point advantage at 18-14.
Despite the modest cushion, Dartmouth was unable to pull away, as the Quakers fought back with a 6-2 run, using the late momentum swing to edge the home team, 25-23.
The second frame was mostly back-and-forth until the middle of the set. Kills by Covington and Kelsey Johnson '11 capped an offensive surge that extended the Big Green lead to five at 19-14.
Wary of a late Quaker comeback, the Big Green defense withstood Penn's counterattack to take the second set 25-19.
The two teams were deadlocked early in the third frame. Tied at 10, Penn began to set the pace with strong, consistent outside strikes, resulting in a 9-2 scoring surge. A late Big Green rally led by Brianne Hucek '13 was too little, too late, as the Quakers took the decisive third set, 25-22.
Penn wasted little time making sure the momentum stayed on its side, storming to an early 7-1 lead and never looking back. A resolute Quaker defense kept the advantage intact and the Dartmouth offense at bay, as the visitors finished the fourth frame, 25-18, to close out the match 3-1.
Megan MacGregor '10 led the Big Green with 14 kills, while Covington and Madeline Baird '12 added 11 kills each.
Alissa Santa Maria '13, recorded 13 digs and finished with 37 assists.
On Saturday, Dartmouth looked to split its doubleheader with a win against a Princeton squad that has beaten the Big Green in their last five meetings.
History seemed to side with the visitors, as Princeton jumped to an early 12-8 advantage in the opening frame. Under Covington's serve, the Big Green mounted a comeback that tied the score at 14 before the Tigers regained the momentum, sprinting to a quick 25-18 victory.
"Preventing the other team from getting an early lead is something that we definitely need to work on," MacGregor said. "We play a lot better when we're ahead."
The second set was much tighter, with the two teams battling point-for-point far into the frame. Tied at 18, a solo block by Annie Villanueva '12 and a Princeton defensive error gave the Big Green a crucial two-point lead.
Trailing 24-22 and facing two set points, the Tigers managed to bite into the narrow lead and swallow the Big Green's advantage. A kill by Lexi Campbell '13, however, eked a third set point for the women's squad, which finally completed the victory, 26-24, by forcing a Princeton error.
A composed Princeton team quickly responded. Tied at two, the Tigers capitalized on a series of Big Green errors, while maintaining a consistent offensive tempo.
A meltdown for the Big Green ensued, as Princeton notched point after point during a 10-1 run. With its defense in disarray and its offense out of sync, Dartmouth looked on as the Tigers ran away with the third set, 25-13.
The third set collapse seemed to dampen the Big Green morale, as Princeton pulled away by seven points in the 4th, to bring the score to 11-4.
Despite an impressive block by Villanueva down the stretch, the Big Green could not muster enough points to close the gap. The Tigers shut down Dartmouth with another lopsided 25-13 win to clinch the match, 3-1.
The Big Green's usually reliable offense was largely absent in Saturday's match, recording an uncharacteristic .096 hitting percentage to Princeton's .273.
Santa Maria led the team with 11 kills, while Baird had 10.
"We need to show a well balanced, yet aggressive attack against both of these teams," Covington said. "Everyone must show that they are a threat in one way or another. Once our offense gets back in its groove, then everything else will fall into place."
The Big Green will be back on the road next weekend, facing off against Yale on Friday and Brown on Saturday in another league doubleheader.
