The Dartmouth volleyball team achieved a hard-fought victory over the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, beating the Quakers in five sets. The match was the second of the weekend for the Big Green in Leede Arena, after they lost to the Princeton University Tigers 3-0 on Friday night.
The Quakers gained the early lead, winning the first set 25-21. Along with more total attacks, Penn also had 16 kills in the set compared to the Big Green’s 14.
After the close first set, the Big Green made some crucial adjustments to their play before the second.
“We were really focusing on getting high passes off the court so we could use our middles more, so we could play faster and on the service line,” outside hitter Kauany Gutz ’26 said.
Outside hitter Zori Brown ’29 added that the team focused on improving their passing and serving in the second set to better “get everyone … involved.”
Gutz and Brown led the way for the Big Green throughout the match, with 16 and 11 kills, respectively.
The second set was very close, with 10 tied scores and five lead changes. Ultimately, the Big Green won the set 27-25, leveling the match at one set apiece.
“We kind of settled down after the first set and got into that rhythm,” head coach Kevin Maureen Campbell said.
The Big Green got out to an early lead in the third set and were able to stay ahead, with Penn only tying the score once and never taking the lead. Dartmouth took the set 25-21 with 17 kills to bring the match score to 2-1. However, Penn bounced back in the fourth set, winning 25-19 and taking the match to a crucial fifth set. Campbell noted that, despite Penn gaining some momentum, Dartmouth still had belief in their ability to win.
“We knew we could win sets against this team,” Campbell said. “And so we went into the fifth set with confidence.”
Penn took an early lead in the last set, leading 9-6. However, Brown and the squad emphasized the importance of staying focused and not becoming overwhelmed by their early deficit.
“Even when we went down, we were just like, ‘we got this next ball,’” Brown said.
Gutz agreed that having a “point-by-point mentality” helped carry the Big Green through the fifth set.
“We were trying to not even look at the scoreboard, because we just knew the only thing that matters is this ball right now,” she said.
Ultimately, Dartmouth closed out the set 15-13, earning them the victory. The win over Penn is their second within the Ivy League, after they beat Columbia 3-0 in New York the week before.
Neither team let up all game, as both teams finished with 61 kills. The Big Green tallied an impressive 58 assists, a season-high, led by setters Sophia Gagnepain ’28 with 30 and Ellie Mattox ’27 with 19. The team also had a season-best 14 blocks, led by Raeli Smith ’27 with six and Emma Symon ’26 and Molly Power ’26 with five each. The Big Green tallied 96 digs, led by Gutz with 27 and libero EllaMae Fitzgerald ’27 with 22.
Campbell said a key factor in the team’s win was the “ability to set the middle.”
“We’ve been working really hard all week to incorporate our middles … not only when it’s perfect, but in mid system,” Campbell said. “Our setters did a really good job of that, and that really opened it up for the rest of our offense.”
Gutz said the win “showed us that you can literally overcome any score, if we’re just staying in it, if we just play together.” She said the win “couldn’t have come at a better time.”
The Big Green regained momentum after losing their last two matches in straight sets. Brown called the win “a turning point for us in the season.”
“I think that this win is really going to help us carry momentum into our next few matches,” she said.
However, Campbell noted the team still has work to do.
“This week, it’s kind of back to work,” she said. “We’re not a perfect team. We have to work on different parts of our game and continue to advance.”
Next, the Big Green will face Yale University on Friday in New Haven, Conn. and Brown on Saturday in Providence, R.I., before heading into the second half of the double-round-robin Ivy League schedule.
“We’re really excited about those matches,” Campbell said. “It’s a really exciting next 10 days.”
