ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior outside hitter Avery Hanan put together her best match of the season, but it was Brown that ended up in the win column, as the Cornell volleyball team fell to the Bears in straight sets, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-15), on Saturday evening at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
Hanan found her offensive rhythm early on in the contest and it never wavered from there, as she posted a match-high and season-best 13 kills to go along with a .303 hitting percentage, a match- and team-high two blocks, and a pair of digs. Senior right-side hitter Jillienne Bennett fed off of Hanan's spark, finishing just one kill shy of double-digits with nine for the second-straight night and hitting .368.
But despite the Big Red's efforts, Brown's hot hitting and precision in the serve and receive game kept Cornell at a distance. Led by Kate Sheire's 13 kills and .591 hitting percentage, the Bears recorded a .336 hitting percentage as a team in the match, outhitting the Big Red .336 to .197.
The Bears were diligent on the serve, notching six aces as compared to Cornell's lone ace from Emma Worthington. Their close attention in which serves to play mislead the Big Red into five serving errors, while Brown had only two.
Rylee Baptiste and Worthington shared the setting responsibilities in the match, with R. Baptiste collecting a team-high 22 assists and Worthington chipping in 13. The pair added eight and seven digs, respectively, with Joanna Chang shouldering the load in the dig department with a match-high 12.
After transitioning from the role of defensive specialist to her first action at the libero position in the third set against Yale yesterday, Megan Bickel stepped into the starting role at libero today seamlessly, notching nine digs and 15 receptions with no errors.
With the loss, Cornell falls to 6-12 on the season and 2-8 in the Ivy League, while Brown finds itself atop the league at 16-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play. The Big Red will return to Newman Arena next weekend for its final two home matches of the season when it welcomes Dartmouth on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Harvard on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m.
