NEW YORK CITY – The Big Red volleyball team picked up its first Ivy League win of the season, defeating Columbia, 3-2, this afternoon at Levien Gymnasium in New York City. The Lions won the first set, 25-18, but the visitors took the lead with consecutive 25-18 victories. Columbia edged the Big Red, 25-23, to force a fifth set, which Cornell won, 15-13.
 
Cornell (5-13, 1-7 Ivy) had four players reach double-digit kills, led by freshman Carla Sganderlla's career-high 15. Sophomore Emily Wemhoff finished with 13 kills and a team-high .393 hitting percentage, while middle blockers Alex Basler (11) and Macey Wilson (10) combined for 21 kills and just four errors. Wilson also finished with a team-high four block assists.
 
Libero Chelsea Sincox finished with a match-high 25 digs, while defensive specialist Natalie Danenhauer had 18 digs and three service aces. Sganderlla posted a double-double with a career-high 16 digs and Kiley McPeek rounded out the Cornell players in double figures with 10 digs.
 
Setter Alyssa Phelps handed out 44 assists to move into fifth place in Cornell history for career assists (2,184).
 
Columbia (5-12, 3-5 Ivy) was led by Aja Malesevic and Kesi  Neblett with 11 kills apiece, as Malesevic posted a match-high .409 (11-2-22). Setter Alex Reale tallied 51 assists and libero Cassie Wes matched Sincox's performance with 25 digs.
 
The Lions pulled away late in the first set, scoring the final five points to earn the 25-18 victory.
 
Cornell rebounded in the second game, trading points with the home team to 12-11 before earning three consecutive points on kills from Wilson and Sganderlla and a service ace form Danenhauer to go up, 15-11. The Lions pulled back within two points (15-13), but a kill by Sganderlla started a 6-2 run  that gave the visitors an insurmountable lead at 21-15. Cornell went on to win the set, 25-18.
 
The Big Red came out strong in the third set, going up, 9-5 after four unanswered points, including three kills from Sganderlla and an ace from Sincox. Cornell eventually stretched its lead to eight points (20-12) on a bad set by Reale, and then rolled to the 25-18 victory.
 
The fourth set featured eight ties and three lead changes before the Lions went on a 5-1 run to erase an 18-20 deficit to go up, 23-21. Cornell made it a one-point game twice down the stretch (23-22; 24-23), both times on kills by Sganderlla, but a kill by Malesevic handed Columbia the 25-23 decision.
 
The decisive fifth set was equally exciting with nine ties and four lead changes until three unanswered Cornell points on a kill by Sganderlla, a block from Basler and Phelps, and an attack error by Katarina Jovicic, put the visitors up 10-7. The Lions responded with a 4-1 run to tie the game at 11-11. The teams traded kills to make it 12-12, but consecutive kills from Wemhoff handed Cornell match  point and Wilson ended it with a kill for the 15-12 decision.  
 
The Big Red returns home to take on Yale and Brown on Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31, respectively. The Game with the Bulldogs will begin at 7 p.m., while the game with the Bears is slated to begin at 5 p.m.