Senior Debbie Quibell’s milestone achievement was just the icing on the cake for the volleyball team. The Red collected three more wins this weekend, stretching its win streak to eight games, its most since winning nine straight in 1992.
Quibell became the first player in Cornell history to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. Entering the weekend’s first match needing 10 digs to become the founding member of the 1,000-1,000 club, her milestone came during the third game of the Red’s 30-26, 25-30, 30-22, 30-27 victory over Canisius on Friday.
The Red fell behind 7-2 early in the first game before scoring nine of the next 12 points. The team would not trail again until the second game, where team errors allowed Canisius to even the match. The Red came back in the third and the fourth games, thanks to Canisius’ mistakes and a solid defensive performance. Senior Ashely Stover helped out on the offensive side, hitting .522 with 14 kills. Freshman Elizabeth Bishop continued her impressive season, posting her sixth double-double with 14 digs and a match-high 21 kills. The Red out-hit Canisius .353-.271.
The volleyball team continued to roll with two more wins on Saturday in Lewiston, N.Y. The first was a 30-27, 30-19, 30-20 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson.
The Red held its opponents to a .066 hitting average, a true testament to the strength of the team, as head coach Christie Roes used the entire roster. Sophomores Rachel Adomat and Hayley Grieve led the team with eight kills each as the Red hit .208.
“We have a lot of talent on our team,” said Roes. “We got to play everyone.”
The Red collected its eighth straight win against Niagara later that day, 30-23, 30-19, 20-25. The team out-hit Niagara .298-.143, led by Bishop’s 17 kills, 11 digs and .484 average. Sophomore Whitney Fair supported the offense with 37 assists. Stover accounted for two of the Red’s seven service aces.
Quibell ended the weekend with career totals of 1,146 kills and 1,021 digs. She needs to terminate only 45 more attacks to break Robin Moore’s ’01 school record for career kills. Starting since her freshman year, Quibell’s contribution to the team is marked by more than just her statistics.
“She’s a very dedicated player,” said Roes, “and a great role model on the court.”
The Red takes its 9-1 record into its Ivy League season opener on Friday at Columbia. The match will mark the beginning of an important stretch of matches, as the team faces more challenging opponents than it saw this weekend, while the players juggle athletics and academic commitments.
“We want to play solid,” said Roes. “We had a rough time this past week with a lot of people sick and busy with school. It’s just that time of year.”
Archived article by Dan Carroll