Box Score ITHACA, N.Y. – After winning the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-14, the Big Red volleyball team dropped the next two, 23-25 and 13-25, as Dartmouth forced a fifth set. The visitors couldn't come all the way back, however, and Cornell won, 15-10, to earn the 3-2 decision this evening in Newman Arena.

Cornell (6-1, 2-5) was led by a trio of hitters in double figures. Breanna Wong posted a team high 14 kills, while Kelly Marble and Sierra Young finished with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Marble also posted 11 digs, one of four Big Red players in double digits.

The Big Red's middle blockers – Rachel D'Epagnier and Ana Vanjak – put up solid numbers, combining for 13 kills and just two errors on 36 attempts, while registering seven blocks (two solo, five assisted) apiece. D'Epagnier also added three service aces.

Setter Lucy Zheng had a 40-assisst, 10-dig double-double, while libero Brittany Kalepa finished with a game-high 28 digs. Natasha Rowland also posted 12 digs.

Dartmouth (2-15, 1-6) was led by Elisa Scudder's 13 kills and .353 hitting percentage, while Allison Brady and Alex Schoenberger tallied 10 apiece. Schoenberger also had 13 digs and two block solos. Kayden Cook handed out 35 assists and Paige Caridi had a team-high 25 digs. 


In the final set, Cornell jumped out to a 3-1 lead, thanks in part to back-to-back kills from Wong and Zheng, but the visitors rallied and knotted the game at 4-4 with a kill from Scudder. The teams battled back-and-forth to a 7-7 tie before kills by Zheng and Marble, sandwiched around a solo block by Vanjak made it a 10-7 contest. An attack error by the Big Green's Brady pushed the Cornell advantage to 11-7 but Brady got the point back on the next play to make it an 11-8 game. Back-to-back kills from Vanjack, followed by a kill by Marble gave Cornell match-point. Consecutive kills by Brady gave the visitors some hope, but a service error from Caridi handed the Big Red the victory.

The match began in a similarly tight fashion, with the teams battling throughout the first set. With Cornell holding the slight 15-14 advantage, back to back kills by Wong and Young gave the home team some breathing room at 17-14. A Dartmouth time out saw the visitors regroup and battle back to one-point (18-17), and over the next five points, the teams traded four service errors. With Cornell leading 21-20, a kill by Wong and a Dartmouth attack error but the Big Red up 23-20 and the teams traded points to the 25-23 final.

The third set was by far the most competitive of the night, featuring 12 ties and three lead changes. After Cornell got out to a 13-8 lead, the Big Green used a 5-1 run to pull within one points (14-13). A kill by Young temporarily stopped Dartmouth's momentum, but moments later, Cook knotted the game at 16-16. The score would be tied seven more times down the stretch, including 23-23, but the Big Green finished the set with a kill from Scudder after a Big Red attack error to earn the 25-23 victory.

The second and fourth sets were mirror images, with Cornell dominating the second (25-14) and the Big Green dominating the fourth (25-13). 

The Big Red opens the second round of Ivy League action when it welcomes Columbia to Newman Arena for its Dig Pink match on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m.  The Lions won the first meeting, 3-0, on Sept. 22 in New York City.