ITHACA, N.Y – The Big Red volleyball team picked up its first 3-0 victory of the 2017 Ivy League campaign, downing Dartmouth, 25-15, 25-18, 25-12, this evening in Newman Arena during the team's annual Dig Pink contest. With the win, Cornell evens its overall record at 9-9 and improves to 5-4 in the conference.
 
Fittingly enough for the Dig Pink game, libero Kiley McPeek was instrumental in the victory, posting a match-high 19 digs (6.3 per set). Samanta Arenas added 10 digs and three others – Zoe Chamness (6), Emily Wemhoff (5) and Chelsea Sincox (5) – combined for 16 as the Big Red dug 53 balls to Dartmouth's 37.
 
McPeek also finished with three aces as the Big Red served tough all night to disrupt the Dartmouth offense.
 
Cornell hit .289 as a team and used a balanced attack that featured six players with at least three kills. Kara Rogers finished with a game-high nine kills and a .412 hitting percentage (9-2-17), while Jenna Phelps tallied eight kills and hit .583 (8-1-12) to go along with three aces and two block assists.
 
Kit McCarty also hit .500 with seven kills (7-1-12).
 
Dartmouth (7-11, 3-6 Ivy) hit -.061 as a team with 17 kills and 23 errors on 99 attempts.
 
Mallen Bischoff came off the bench in the second set and was the lone bright spot for the Big Green with six kills (five errors) on 16 attempts to go along with a team-high nine digs.
 
COACHES CORNER – TRUDY VANDE BERG
We talked a lot after our match last weekend about how we need to mentally prepare. We always play really well at home and we just attacked everything tonight. We did what we were supposed to. We took good swings like we were supposed to. It was like a machine. It was really nice to see.
 
When we serve tough. The other team gets more predictable and our block and defense can set up and that gets us in a rhythm. So when we're getting aces, or their shanking passes and they get out of system, it gives us confidence and then everything comes together.
 
TURNING POINT
After battling to a 9-9 tie in the first set, Jada Stackhouse registered a solo block on Elise Petit to put Cornell up, 10-9. Chamness stepped to the line and used some tough serving to put Cornell up, 13-9, and force the visitors to call a timeout. The Big Green responded with a kill from Sara Lindquist, but while still trailing 15-11 McPeek came to serve and promptly registered three aces, along with another ball that forced Dartmouth into an error. From there, Cornell only trailed twice more in the entire match coming at 0-1 and 5-6 in the second set.
 
UP NEXT
Cornell takes on second-place Harvard tomorrow night in Newman Arena at 5 p.m.