This fall break weekend was chock full of volleyball action. The Cornell volleyball team (10-5, 3-1 Ivy) had two tough matches against Ivy rivals Brown and Yale.
On Friday, the team traveled to Providence to play Brown (9-4, 1-0). The Red won the first game decidedly by a score of 15-9, but dropped the next two 15-10 and 15-4. Cornell bounced back with another 15-9 win in the fourth, but could not convert in the fifth and deciding game, falling 15-10.
The match was marked by the spectacular play of junior outside hitter Jennifer Borncamp, who recorded 19 kills and 15 digs. “The team was really pumped up during these games, and that really helps my game,” Borncamp said. Freshman outside hitter Debbie Quibell and senior middle blocker Robin Moore each had 17 and 15 kills respectively in the loosing effort.
Rising star freshman setter Rachel Rice controlled the offensive tempo with 50 assists, as well as six digs and three blocks.
Overall, the Red recorded 66 kills, 60 digs, and eight team blocks, but eventually came up short against Brown’s 61 kills, 82 digs, and seven blocks.
“It was a tough game to loose. We could have won. We should have won,” Borncamp remarked.
Next the team traveled to New Haven to face the always tough Bulldogs of Yale (11-4,1-1).
Borncamp stepped up once again with a match-high 17 kills as the Red went on to sweep the Bulldogs (15-12, 15-8, 15-12). It was the first time since 1993 that Cornell blanked Yale, and the first win since 1996.
Quibell and Moore put up double digits again, Moore recording 11 kills and four blocks and Quibell with 12 kills, and only four errors in 23 attacks. This time is was junior defensive specialist Liz Condon who stepped up to lead the Red to victory, recording a team high 10 digs.
In the end, the team was much more consistent at the net both defensively and offensively totaling 53 kills and 53 digs, with 10 team blocks as well. The Red also recorded an impressive 10 service aces. “We practiced serving last week in practice and it really paid off. We were able to put our serves where they weren’t,” Borncamp said. Yale was only able to put up 47 kills, 56 digs, and four team blocks.
The sweep gives the Red a big push in to Friday’s match, when Cornell hosts Ivy arch-rival Harvard.
Archived article by Josh Vlasto