ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red volleyball team earned its first Ivy League win of the season this afternoon in dramatic fashion, coming back to defeat Columbia, 3-2, in Newman Arena. After winning the first set, 25-18, Cornell dropped the next two (25-23, 25-21), but came back to win sets four (25-21) and five (20-18) in front of a boisterous crowd on hand for the team's annual Dig Pink game.
 
Cornell was led by Maddy Sroufe, who registered a career-high 20 kills to go along with a solid .210 hitting percentage, 11 digs and three block assists. Emily Wemhoff had a 15-kill, 12-dig double-double and Macey Wilson finished with 10 kills and just two errors on 28 attempts for a team-high .286 hitting percentage. Wilson also posted five block assists. Setter Alyssa Phelps had 50 assists and 12 digs, while libero Natasha Rowland finished with a match-high 34 digs, good for 14th place in Cornell history for digs in a set.  Jasmine Robinson was also outstanding, with six kills and seven block assists, but more importantly, she sparked a crucial 6-1 run in the final set to help the Big Red earn the victory.
 
The fifth got off to a bad start for the home team, as Columbia jumped out to a 3-1 lead, which it eventually extended to a 9-4 advantage. Needing just six points to earn the match, the visitors seemed in complete control, but a crucial kill from Robinson, who went on to serve the next six points, earning two aces in the process, sparked the run that knotted the set at 10-10. The teams traded points until a kill from Alex Reale and a service ace from Casse Wes handed the Lions match-point, but that's when Sroufe game to life, earning the first of her five kills over the final eight Big Red points. Sroufe went on to tie the game and then put Cornell up, 15-14, before a Columbia block made it a 15-15 contest. Sroufe and Baliley Springer traded a pair of kills each, before Wemhoff put down a kill for the home team. Springer tied the game one final time at 18-18 before back-to-back kills from Wilson gave Cornell the dramatic 20-18 victory.
 
Columbia (7-10, 3-5 Ivy) sported a balanced offense with Bailey Springer finishing with 18 kills, while four others – Zoe Jacobs, Katarina Jovicic, Kesi Neblett, and Carla Dibbs – registering 10 kills apiece. Setter Jennifer Ptrovich tallied 50 assists, while Cassie Wes played libero for the final four sets of the match and finished with a team-high 28 digs.
 
The Big Red continues with hits five-game home stand next weekend when it welcomes Penn and Princeton to Newman Arena on Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1, respectively.