By wpengine
The wrestling team opened its season far from flawless at home this weekend at the Body Bar Invitational, but in the end it did get the win it was seeking. Seniors Clint Wattenberg and Gabe Webster won their divisions at the 184-pound and 157-pound weight classes, respectively, as Cornell took the tournament with a final score of 156.5. Drexel finished not far behind, nipping at the Red’s heels with a final score of 144.5. Despite the overall team victory and the wins from Wattenberg and Webster, the day was somewhat bittersweet for the Red. Head coach Rob Koll felt that at times the team didn’t live up to the high expectations that it has set for itself. “I have a bit of a sour taste in my mouth,” Koll said. “But we were pretty good in general.” That sour taste resulted from lost opportunities for Cornell that ended in six second-place finishes on the day, most notably from senior co-captain Jim Stanec. “We found ways to lose,” Koll noted. All-American Stanec, who has high hopes for the season, found himself at the losing end of the finals of the 174-pound weight class. After taking an early lead, he fell 3-2 to Gerald Harris from Cleveland State. Stanec had breezed through the rest of the competition and even “controlled the match” against Harris, according to Koll. Eventually, he fell just short. Wattenberg dominated his matches, easily beating Virginia’s Jimi Massey 11-3 in the finals. Webster faced off with teammate Andy Tieben in the finals and pulled out a difficult 3-2 victory over the junior. Also impressive was freshman Travis Lee, who was taking part in his first collegiate action this past weekend. Lee managed to get into the finals, where he finally ran into competition he couldn’t beat in the form of Cleveland State’s Rocco Mansueto. Mansueto took the lead with seconds remaining in the match to steal a 2-1 victory. Despite the late loss, Koll praised his freshman. “He was tremendous,” he said. “We had high goals for him when he came here.” But when asked if he had been pleasantly surprised by anything his team did, Koll was quick to respond. “Doing well is not really a surprise from any of the guys on the team,” the coach said. In the end though, Koll understood his team had gotten an important win and that it was too early in the season to try to make serious assumptions on the team’s performance. Cornell next travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. to compete in the Sharpie Open this Saturday.Archived article by Charles Persons
By wpengine
It was the season that could have been for Cornell volleyball. The women spikers entered the 2001 campaign on the heels of a second place finish at the Ivy League championships the previous year. Led by the hard- hitting duo of senior Jennifer Borncamp and sophomore Debbie Quibell, the Red stormed out of the gates with a 5-1 league start. However, a rash of injuries and a slight dip in form quickly dropped the Red from pole position, and out of contention. This weekend, the women went towards restoring their status as one of the league’s elite teams, with wins at Harvard and Dartmouth. On Friday, the Red (17-9, 9-5 Ivy) refused to cave in after falling two sets down to produce a stirring comeback win (26-30, 13-30, 30-19, 30-22, 15-13) against Harvard. Quibell produced a stellar all-round performance, tallying 18 kills and 33 digs in the five set thriller. Junior Angela Barbera chipped in with a double-double of 18 kills and 18 digs, while Borncamp’s 12 kills moved her past the 1000-kill mark for her career. “That was awesome,” head coach Christie Jackson exclaimed. “They showed a lot of character to come back from two games down. I love that!” Saturday’s season finale at Dartmouth appeared to be a heading for a complete reversal of the previous day’s proceedings. After taking a two-set lead, the Red had to stave off a furious challenge from the Big Green before prevailing 3-2 (30-26, 30-19, 23-30, 30-32, 15-11). Quibell, who was named the Ivy League’s joint Player of the Week after last weekend’s exploits, rounded off a hugely successful sophomore year with 13 kills and 22 digs. The victory also ensured that the seniors would end their Cornell careers on a high. “That was one of the motivators,” Jackson admitted. “To try and go out in style.” It was a bittersweet ending for the four seniors on the team. Outside hitters Borncamp and Jennifer McHarg, defensive specialist Liz Condon, and middle blocker/setter Jaimee Reynolds will all leave without having tasted an Ivy League title. Borncamp put the finishing touches on a solid collegiate career, recording 20 kills and 26 digs in the two weekend match-ups. She fell just four digs short of becoming the first Cornellian ever to reach the 1000 kill-1000 digs mark. Borncamp and her classmates will be sorely missed by the team, both on and off the court. “They [the seniors] weren’t my recruiting class but I feel like they’re mine because they’ve been here as long as I have,” said Jackson. “The team’s really close so it’s hard to see them go.” As the curtain fell on the 2001 volleyball season, Jackson was left to reflect on a year in which injuries dealt the Red a cruel hand. With sophomore setter Rachel Rice and senior outside hitter Jennifer McHarg going down early on, Jackson was forced to throw some of her younger players into the fire. “We were super inexperienced,” she said. “We essentially have a lot of freshmen playing.” Even then, an Ivy League title was within reach until a fateful trip to Providence. The 3-0 loss to Brown prompted a four-match losing streak, which knocked the Red out of league contention. “Something happens to us every year the weekend before Brown and Yale,” Jackson observed. “That little slump killed us.” Despite the disappointment of not finishing atop the league, Jackson was grateful for the determination and selflessness demonstrated by the players. “I know they’re disappointed in our season somewhat,” said Jackson. “But we did as much as we could with this team.” At 9-5, Cornell finished third in the league, two games behind co-champions Penn and Brown. Nevertheless Jackson is looking forward to a promising campaign next year. “If this season is any indication, we’re going to dominate the league,” Jackson pronounced. Archived article by Soo Kim