Boxscore

FAIRFAX, Va. – The Cornell volleyball team fell to Kent State, 3-0, in the final match of the Patriot Invitational this evening in Fairfax, Va. The Big Red fell in straight sets, 25-18, 25- 20, 25-13. For her outstanding performance on the weekend, Erin McCarthy was named to the all-tournament team.  

Cornell (0-3) was led by Deveney Pula with seven kills, six digs and two service aces, while Jordan Reeder handed out 16 assists and had a team-high nine digs.

Kent State (1-7) was led by Arjola Prenga's 20 kills and 18 digs. Kristen Barr also registered 18 digs and Zuzana Markova handed out 34 assists.

The first set of the match started as a back-and-forth battle before the Golden Flashes used a 6-2 scoring run to take a 19-14 lead. The Big Red couldn't get back into the game and the teams traded points the rest of the way to the 25-18 final.

Cornell fought its way back in the second set, sticking with Kent State throughout the first half until the Golden Flashes slowly began to pull away, gaining a four-point lead at 13-9. The Big Red took advantage of several Kent Stat errors, to go along with a kill by Alessa Cekauskas and service ace by Juliana Rogers to pull within two points, 16-14. The Golden Flashes regained a comfortable four-point advantage, but Cornell responded with a 6-2 scoring run to knot the set at 20-20. That was as close as it would get, however, as Kent State rattled off the final five points to take the 25-20 victory.

After playing to a 6-6 tie in the final set, the Golden Flashes scored four unanswered points to establish some breathing room. A block by Reeder ended the run, but Kent State rebounded immediately, scoring the next four points to break the game open at 14-7. The Big Red could not fight its way back into the contest and the Golden Flashes took the 25-13 victory.

Cornell is back in action next weekend as it will travel down I-81 to participate in the Binghamton Invitational. The Big Red will open the weekend against Farleigh Dickenson on Friday, Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m. The next day, Cornell will take on Towson at 10:30 a.m., before facing the host Bearcats at 6 p.m.