Volleyball: Yale set for Ivy rivals

By Konrad Coutinho
Contributing Reporter
Friday, October 9, 2009

On the heels of its seventh straight win and one of its hottest starts ever, the Yale volleyball team (11–1, 1–0 Ivy) will host Ivy League powers Princeton and Penn this weekend at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

After dominating Brown in the opening game of Ivy competition, the Bulldogs hope to continue to defend their Ivy championship in the next two games.

The Princeton Tigers (2–10, 0–1), normally a perennial powerhouse, are currently in a rebuilding season. Yale defeated the Tigers twice last year, and on paper, the Bulldogs should have no trouble defeating them tonight.

The Penn Quakers (10–4, 1–0), on the other hand, were the only Ivy League team to defeat Yale last year, and are returning most of their players. They will pose a welcome challenge to the Bulldogs tomorrow.

“I’ve had my heart set on this weekend for a long time,” said captain and outside hitter Alexis Crusey ’10.

Libero Kelly Ozurovich ’11, who became the 12th player in Yale volleyball history to achieve 1,000 career digs on Friday against Brown, looks to rise higher in the history books, as she is 11 digs shy of the top 10.

Setter Kerry Clavadetscher ’13, who dished out a match-high 21 assists against Brown, was recognized as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs, who have won nine consecutive Ivy League matches and nine straight home matches. The game against Princeton starts at 7 p.m., and the Elis face off against the Quakers at 4 p.m. Saturday.

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