The women’s volleyball team (13-7, 5-3 Ivy) returns to action this weekend against s it looks to get back into the race for the Ivy League title. Penn (15-4, 6-1 Ivy) and Princeton (11-5, 4-3 Ivy), a
The Red currently finds itself in third place in the conference, one win behind the Quakers and two wins behind the Harvard Crimson with six league games remaining in the season. That fact makes these two games must win situations if Cornell hopes to remain alive for the Ivy title and an NCAA berth.
The squad will face off against the Quakers in Philadelphia today and then head up to Princeton tomorrow.
The last match against Penn was one of the best performances from Cornell all season. Each game was close, but Cornell, through its inspired play, managed to pull out a sweep, 30-28, 30-28, and 34-32. That win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Quakers. This time, they will be looking not only for a victory over the Red but revenge for the earlier loss.
Penn is currently riding a five game winning streak, including four conference games. Erin Kwak-Hefferan leads a balanced offense in kills at 3.69 per game for an offense that is averaging 15.73 kills per game and is hitting .236 as a team. Meghan Schloat is averaging 11.79 assists per game at setter, while Liz Watty (4.10 dpg.) and Cara Thomason (3.56 dpg.) are among the conference’s leaders in digs.
The Red had a tough time keeping up with Princeton’s offense the last time around, as three Tigers scored double figures in kills, including Michelle Buffum with 18. The Tigers hit .200 in the first meeting. The Red ended up losing the match 3-1 (30-22, 30-26, 25-30, and 30-16).
The Tigers come into this match after a tough 3-2 loss Wednesday against Villanova. Kellie Cramm leads the team in kills at 4.22 per game on .252 hitting for an offense that is averaging 15.25 kills per game and is hitting .257 as a team. Jenny Senske is averaging 12.92 assists per game at setter, while Kelly Song and Ashley Webber are team leaders in digs at 3.36 and 3.21 per game, respectively.
Cornell hopes to take momentum from its victory (3-0) Tuesday over upstate rival Colgate. The Red hit .442 as a team and limited the Raiders to just .051 hitting. Ten different players for the Red had a kill and all 13 members of the team played in the match.
Archived article by Chris Callanan