Cornell volleyball (1-2, 0-0 Ivy) began its 2023 season with a trip to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania over the long weekend to compete in the Bucknell Invitational. The Red faced Niagara (0-4, 0-0 MAAC) on Friday and then William & Mary (4-2, 0-0 CAA) and Bucknell (2-3, 0-0 Patriot) for a Saturday doubleheader.
Starting off strong on Friday, Cornell defeated the Purple Eagles, 3-1, after a comeback effort by the Red. After a back-and-forth beginning to the first set, Cornell took momentum — however, Niagara overtook and didn’t look back, taking the first set, 19-25. The Red didn’t let that stop them and took control of the second set early on, winning it 25-9. Cornell secured the win over the Purple Eagles after winning the third and fourth set, backed by a career-high 25 kills by sophomore outside hitter Eliza Konvicka.
Looking to build off the momentum into Saturday, the Red faced the Tribe to begin its doubleheader. After losing the first set, Cornell went on to win the second and third sets, giving them a 2-1 lead. However, William & Mary clawed back in the final two sets, giving Cornell a 3-2 loss.
Just hours later, the Red attempted to leave the tournament on a high-note but fell just short against the hometeam. While Cornell lost to Bucknell 3-0, the set score differential was not more than 3 points in any of the three sets.
Each of the three sets were highlighted by a back-and-forth battle between the Red and the Bison — however, in each set, Bucknell was the one to be able to finish it out. The final score of each set was 25-22, 25-22 and 26-24.
Cornell volleyball hopes to return to its winning ways when it faces regional-rival Syracuse on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena for the first home match of the season. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.