PHILADELPHIA – The Cornell volleyball team (9-2, 2-0) erased a 2-0 deficit against Penn (7-4, 0-2) on Friday night, posting a valiant comeback to defeat the Quakers, 3-2 (15-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-10), at The Palestra in Philadelphia.

For the first time this season, the Big Red found itself down two sets to none entering the third stanza of play. While Cornell could have been phased by this, the Big Red instead put their nose to the grindstone, getting themselves back in the match one set at a time. As a result of great determination, fight, and grit, the Big Red once again found themselves in the winning column, making it seven straight wins for Cornell.

The Big Red were led in the win by Jillienne Bennett (14) and Avery Hanan (10), who combined for 24 of Cornell's 54 kills. Both Bennett and Hanan turned up the heat when the Big Red needed them to the most, as Bennett notched 11 of her 14 kills in the final three sets, and Hanan recorded all 10 of her kills in sets three, four, and five. The pair also hit .300 and .412, respectively, on the night.

The win was a total team effort, however, as Madison Baptiste (8), Jada Stackhouse (7), Samanta Arenas (6), and Jenna Phelps (6) also tallied their fair share of kills. Baptiste was all over the court, also registering 14 digs in the contest. Baptiste, along with libero Lily Barber (15) and Emma Worthington (12), combined for 41 of the team's 64 digs.

Worthington and Zoe Chamness notched 20 and 19 assists, respectfully, setting the Big Red attackers up for success. Chamness made her presence known from the serving line as well, recording a game-high three aces.

Penn got off to a hot start in set one, jumping out to a 5-1 lead and building momentum in the early going. With the score at 9-3 in favor of the Quakers, the Big Red took a timeout to try to stop the bleeding, but Penn powered on. Phelps and Baptiste did their best to keep Cornell within striking distance, each registering a pair of kills in the opening stanza, but the Quakers would never trail, going on to take set one, 25-15.

The beginning of the second set had a different feel to it, with the Quakers and Big Red engaging in a back-and-forth battle early on. With the score tied at 5-5, Penn settled in once again, scoring six of the next eight points to take an 11-7 lead. However, Cornell would come storming back, and after a pair of Arenas kills and a Baptiste service ace, evened the score up at 11-11.

In what quickly became a set full of runs, Penn retaliated, scoring five of the next six points to claim a 16-12 lead and force a Big Red timeout. Cornell would respond out of the timeout, as Phelps and Baptiste each notched a kill to cut the Penn lead to 17-16. Penn put their foot on the gas, however, scoring four straight points and ultimately winning set two, 25-20.

Baptiste continued to fight hard as set three began, opening the stanza with a kill. Making her first appearance of the match, Hanan also picked up a kill in the opening points of the third set, helping Cornell take a 4-2 lead. Penn would once again find its rhythm, scoring six of the next seven points to give the Quakers an 8-5 lead. The Big Red would not give up, and thanks to five kills in the third set from a red-hot Jillienne Bennett, Cornell and Penn would find the score tied up at 20-20. After a Big Red timeout, both teams would go back and forth, neither one wanting to surrender. With the score tied up at 22-22, Hanan had a clutch kill, and after two Quaker errors, Cornell would take set three, 25-22.

The momentum had shifted in Cornell's favor as set four got underway, and after a pair of Arenas kills, a Baptiste kill, and a Hanan kill, the Big Red found themselves with a 6-2 advantage. From this point forward, Cornell would settle in, extending the lead to 10-4 following Arenas' third kill of the set. Bennett continued to be the spark that the Big Red needed, registering 12 kills through the first four sets of the match. Cornell would lead by as many as 12 points in the set, winning set four, 25-16, and forcing a set five. The Big Red out hit the Quakers .333 to .139 in the fourth set, putting Cornell in great position heading into the final stanza of play.

Set five was a barn burner, with both teams going back and forth for the first half of the set. With the score at 7-6 in favor of the Big Red, Cornell head coach Trudy Vande Berg had a pivotal challenge that resulted in a reversed call to extend Cornell's lead to 8-6. This would give Cornell the push they needed, and after a Baptiste kill and a Stackhouse and Bennett block, the Big Red held a 10-7 advantage that they would never look back from. Capped off by a service ace by Worthington, Cornell won set five, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.

The Big Red volleyball team will be back in action tomorrow when they travel to Princeton, N.J. for a contest against pre-season Ivy League favorite Princeton. First serve is slated for 5 p.m.