HANOVER – The Big Red volleyball team fell to Dartmouth, 3-0, this evening in Leede Arena. The Big Green won in straight sets, 25-10, 25-18, 27-25.
 
Cornell (6-16, 2-10 Ivy) struggled offensively, hitting just .027 as a team. Kit McCarty had a team-high .333 hitting percentage (6-1-15) and Carla Sganderlla posted a team-high nine kills. Setters Alyssa Phelps and Lauren Donnelly and 10 and nine assists, respectively, while Chelsea Sincox finished with a match-high 16 digs.
 
Dartmouth (11-10, 8-4  Ivy) had three players register double-digit kills – Emily Astarita (14), Kaira Lujan (12) and Sierra Lyle (10) – with the trio accounting for 36-of-44 Big Green kills on the evening. Setter Kayden Cook posted 39 assists, while Astarita finished with a double-double with a team-high 11 digs.
 
The Big Green jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first set and never looked back en route the 25-10 victory.
 
The second set started much better for the visitors, as Cornell battled Dartmouth to a 15-15 tie before five unanswered points gave the Big Green a lead it would not relinquish. In total, Dartmouth closed the set on a 10-3 run to account for the 25-18 final.
 
The Big Red continued to battle in an effort to extend the match, and seemed to be headed that way when consecutive kills by Sganderlla gave Cornell set point at 25-24. But that's when Kayden Cook took over with a kill, followed by back-to-back service aces, to hand Dartmouth the 27-25 victory. Altogether, the third set featured 13 ties and six lead changes.  
 
Cornell will play its final home games of the season, and honor senior Brittany Kalepa, when it plays host to Princeton and Penn on Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, respectively. The Game with the Tigers will begin at 7 p.m., while the game with the Quakers is slated to begin at 5 p.m.