Cornell volleyball (8-2, 1-0 Ivy) extended its winning streak to seven- straight matches as it defeated Columbia (2-9, 0-1 Ivy) this past Saturday in New York City. The Red swept the Lions 30-18, 30-24, and 30-16 en route to handing Columbia its fifth straight loss. The game served as the Ivy League opener for both teams.
The Red played clean volleyball, as it only committed seven attack errors in the three-game set while Columbia committed 30. The Red controlled the tempo throughout the match as it out-hit, out-blocked, and out-played Columbia at Levien Gymnasium.
“We didn’t make a lot of errors and that was huge,” said head coach Deitre Collins. “We definitely did some good things. We played at a high level and got to show them our depth.”
Sophomores Amy Gordon, Elizabeth Bishop, Joanna Weiss, and senior co-captain Kelly Kramer paced the Red. Gordon, who did not play during the Red’s sweep of Binghamton this past Wednesday, recorded 36 assists while tallying eight digs, four blocks, four service aces, and one kill from her setter position. Bishop recorded 14 kills and nine digs, while Weiss chipped in 10 kills, committing no errors. Kramer led the team with 12 digs.
Senior Rachel Adomat made her presence felt on the outside as she chipped in seven kills. Junior Thais Mirela notched six kills on only eight swings without an error in the match.
Cornell fell behind early in game one as Columbia got out to a quick 3-0 lead on a kill by Lions setter Shannon Hunzicker and a couple of rare Red errors. After recording the first point of the night, the Red gained momentum and went on to record seven of the next nine points. Columbia could not stop the Red, as the squad streaked its way to a 12- point victory.
In game two, the Lions again led early (7-5) before the momentum began to shift. Weiss and Gordon stuffed Lions outside-hitter Natalie Gerling before Bishop spiked a massive blast to tie the game at seven. Columbia would then go on to commit two errors which gave Cornell the lead. It was a lead the team would not relinquish. The teams went on to play even volleyball for the rest of the match until Cornell sealed the deal, winning the game by six points.
The third game proved to be a phenomenal one for the Red. The teams were deadlocked at eight before Cornell scored six unanswered points to give itself a substantial lead. The Red then outscored the Lions 8-4 the rest of the way, beating Columbia by 14 points. Cornell played virtually mistake-free volleyball in game three as the team committed just one error in the set. The Red recorded 16 kills on only 33 swings, as it hit a phenomenal average of .445 during the game.
“We went into the game with the attitude that we were going to set the tempo for how people will perceive us,” Collins said. “When people call in and ask about us we want them to hear that we are playing well. We certainly did that this weekend.”
Archived article by Tim Kuhls
Sun Staff Writer