Volleyball defeated Columbia in a five-set thriller to open its Ivy League season.
After dropping the first two sets, the Red (5-1, 1-0 Ivy) rallied back to complete a reverse-sweep victory on its home court, stunning the Lions (3-1, 0-1 Ivy).
Junior outside hitter Eliza Konvicka was critical for the Red on offense, recording a season-high 22 kills. Freshman middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons added five service aces and 13 kills while also contributing to a block that made life difficult for Columbia’s hitters late in the match.
Columbia opened the first set by going on a 10-3 run that put the Red on its heels. While Cornell came roaring back and eventually tied it up at 24 points apiece, it was unable to close out the set. The Lions’ aggressive attack continued in the second set, which left the Red reeling.
Head coach Trudy Vande Berg said her team has to start games with more intensity in the future.
“[Columbia] definitely came out swinging,” Vande Berg said. “They were going after us. They were serving tough, and we came out a little soft. We weren’t serving tough. We weren’t doing the things we needed to do to be successful, and we let them get into a rhythm.”
It wasn’t until the third set that the Red finally found a groove. Parsons, the reigning Ivy League Co-Player of the Week, had a critical block in the final points of the set that forced a Columbia time out, as well as the set-winning kill.
Konvicka largely attributed the Red’s turnaround to conversations the team had after the second set about staying composed and playing its game.
“We put our heads down and said we need to support each other and do our jobs,” Konvicka said. “We cannot be focusing on too many little things, so there was a refocus on doing your job and playing your role as well as you possibly can.”
The Red carried that momentum into the fourth set, where it played dominant defense, holding the Lions to just 13 total points.
In the fifth and final set of the game, the Red continued its resurgence, storming out to an early lead. With the home crowd behind them, they rode its defensive intensity to keep Columbia on the back foot, and eventually sealed the victory. Vande Berg said it was crucial to open Ivy League play with a win.
“The fact that we gutted that one out, that’s something we didn’t do a year ago,” Vande Berg said. “A year ago, we were losing that match in three. So the fact that we came back, reverse-swept and took care of business in the fourth and the fifth set gives us confidence in the next couple of weeks.”
Next weekend, the Red will go on the road to play Dartmouth (7-4, 0-1 Ivy) at 7 p.m. on Friday and Harvard (6-4, 1-0 Ivy) at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Both games can be streamed live on ESPN+.
Dylan Graff is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at [email protected].