Box Score Box Score 

ITHACA, N.Y. - The Cornell women's volleyball team won its first match of the 2013 season, defeating Iona 3-1 in an exciting back and forth battle to open the second day of the Cornell Invitational on Saturday morning.

Cornell won the first two sets 25-22 and 25-23 before conceding the third to Iona 26-24. The fourth set was the strongest of the day for the Big Red, as it dominated the play from start to finish.  

Freshman Alyssa Phelps led the way for Cornell in the first of the day's two matches, hitting .500 with 26 assists. Rachel D'Epagnier, Breanna Wong and Kelly Marble each contributed 11 kills for Cornell.

The visitors were led by Karly White and her .389 hit percentage, as well as Catrina Warren's 14 kills and Natalie Ziskin match-leading 43 assists.

Each of the first three sets featured numerous ties and lead changes, with seven ties in set one alone. With Iona serving and the game tied at 18, the Big Red capitalized on a service error by the Gaels to take the lead. An Iona attack error put the Big Red up by two (24-22) and a big kill by D'Epagnier sealed the set for Cornell.

Iona led the second set most of the way, but the Big Red was able to rally from behind after being down by as many as three points on two occasions. The second rally was sparked by another D'Epagnier kill with the Big Red down 17-20 and followed by two more successful attacks by Kelly Marble and Sarah Hunt. The teams continued to trade points and would pull even at points 20, 21, 22 and 23 before the Big Red utilized a Macey Wilson kill to take the lead and earn the two-point victory for a 2-0 lead.

The Gaels took the third set 26-24 behind Warren's five kills. They led Cornell by as many as six points (20-14), but couldn't quell a late Cornell rally which knotted the set at 24. After Ziskin set up Taylor Cembalisty to regain the lead, a Katy Crouse block earned Iona's match point.

Set four saw only one tie at 1-1 before Cornell took the lead on a Sierra Young kill and never looked back, leading by as many as five and taking the set by the same margin at 25-20. Wong hit .667 in the set to lead the Big Red, while Kelly Reinke added eight assists.

Cornell will face Bucknell in the final match of the invitational at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon.