The volleyball team finds itself 10-5 on the season and 3-1 in Ivy League play after splitting two conference matches this past weekend against Princeton (9-2, 2-1 Ivy) and Penn (10-4, 2-1). On Friday at Newman Arena, Cornell fell to a determined Tiger squad 3-1 but came back the following day to sweep the Quakers 3-0 in a spirited match. The split places Cornell at second place in the Ivy League, trailing Harvard (8-7, 4-0 ivy) by one match.
The Red got off to a rough start against the Tigers, as it was plagued by a weak-hitting percentage of .074 in the first two games. Though it was able to better connect on its hits in the next two matches, it was still not enough for the Red to overcome its slow start. The Tigers who registered a .200 mark as a team, outhit the Red in all the matches they won.
Cornell was led by the outside hitting duo of senior Angela Barbera, and junior Debbie Quibell, who recorded double-doubles for the match. Barbera had 13 kills and 12 digs while Quibell followed with 12 kills and 10 digs. In the middle, junior Jamie Lugo joined Barbera and Quibell in double figures with 11 kills of her own.
Junior middle blocker Ashley Stover had a strong defensive effort; recording nine blocks in the game while classmate Rachel Rice had five. Senior captain Mary Margaret Moore added nine digs in the backcourt.
Cornell’s defense had problems containing Princeton’s trio of Michelle Buffum, Kelli Cramm and Abby Studer each of whom scored double digit kills in the match. Buffum also led the Tigers in aces and digs.
The Red rebounded from its disappointing loss to the Tigers with a well-fought victory over the Quakers, 30-28, 30-28, and 34-32. The win handed Penn its first loss in league play and snapped a nine game winning streak. It was also the first win for the Red against Penn at home since 1997.
Cornell led for the majority of the first game until Penn tied the score at 21-21. The Red went on a rally, recording six points in a row and came away with the win. The second game saw the Quakers come on strong, jumping out to a 16-11 lead.
However, the Red rallied again and the score was knotted three times — at 21, 24, and 25 points before Cornell pulled ahead for the win. The third and final game went to extra points and was the tightest contested. The Red led until a service error knotted the score at 21. The game went back and forth with Cornell pulling out the last three points for the win.
Freshman Whitney Fair, in her first league start as a setter, directed the offense with 45 assists on the day. Barbera and Quibell both had explosive performances on the outside, each recording a double-double for the second time.
Barbera registered 22 kills and 17 digs while Quibell contributed 17 kills and 21 digs. Stover who had seven of the eight blocks for Cornell in the match, led a defense which held Penn to a .147 hitting percentage as a team and allowed only one player for the Quakers to record double figures in kills.
Cornell returns to league action this weekend when they hit the road to face Dartmouth and Harvard.
Archived article by Chris Callanan