DURHAM, N.C. – The Cornell volleyball team notched its second-consecutive sweep on Friday afternoon, defeating LIU in straight sets, 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-23), in the Duke Classic at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. The Big Red improves to 4-3 with the victory, while LIU falls to 2-8.
Cornell absolutely dominated at the net, notching 8.0 total blocks as opposed to LIU's 2.0. The Big Red had 12 block assists and two solo blocks, while the Sharks had just two block assists and a lone solo block. Casey Justus and Sydney Moore were key figures at the block party, with Justus collecting four block assists and Moore recording two block assists and a solo block.
A trio of Big Red attackers paced Cornell offensively, with Jillienne Bennett (10), Madison Baptiste (9), and Justus (9) combining for 28 of the Big Red's 40 kills. Playing in just her second match this season, Brooke Cooper also made an impact for Cornell, tallying a career-high seven kills. As a team, Cornell out-hit LIU on the match .237 to .128.
"We needed some different people to step up and play a good match. They didn't have to do anything outstanding, but they needed to do a good job of what we needed them to do, and they did," said Trudy Vande Berg, The Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball. "Brooke came in and played really well for us. She took a lot of nice swings and did what she needed to do blocking and that helped everyone else out."
M. Baptiste was just one kill shy of a double-double, notching 14 digs. Jackie Baker continues to hold down the back row for Cornell, collecting a team-high 15 digs. Making her collegiate debut, Rylee Baptiste notched seven digs to go along with an ace. In normal fashion, Emma Worthington recorded a match-high 35 assists.
Although Cornell came away with the sweep, the Big Red had to work hard for it, as every stanza of the three set match was marked by momentum shifts. It came down to who executed the finest details, and the Big Red did just that.
"Everyone did what they needed to do and took care of the little things," Vande Berg said. "That made it easier when we were under pressure at the end of every set. That was good to see because we didn't do that last weekend when we were getting close to the end of sets. We weren't executing and taking care of the little things so we could do the big things, and we did that today, so that was nice to see."
Cornell found itself in a hole at multiple points of the first set, with the first notable deficit occurring when LIU scored five points as compared to Cornell's one to take a 14-10 advantage. The Big Red called a timeout to regroup and it rattled LIU, who, in addition to a Justus kill, committed three-straight errors to help Cornell get back within one, 16-15.
With the score knotted up, 17-17, LIU got back on track, scoring three-consecutive points to reclaim a 20-17 advantage. Cornell would give the Sharks a taste of its own medicine, however, scoring three-straight points of its own on an LIU attack error, a M. Baptiste kill, and an Emma Worthington service ace to tie things back up at 20-20 and force an LIU timeout.
The timeout once again worked for LIU, who found themselves with set point, leading the Big Red 24-22. After another Cornell timeout, Cornell put its nose to the grindstone, fighting off three-straight set points to tie things up, 25-25. In front of her hometown crowd, Raleigh, N.C. native Justus had two huge kills in the run and R. Baptiste notched an ace. Cooper closed the door on LIU on the next and final point, putting down a kill to secure the 26-24 set one victory for the Big Red.
The Big Red appeared to have total control of the second set, leading by as many as seven points as the set progressed. With the score at 20-13, however, LIU had other plans, scoring six of the next seven points to cut Cornell's advantage to 21-19. The Big Red took a timeout, but the Sharks' momentum continued, as LIU scored the next two points out of the timeout, in what was now five-straight, to knot the score at 21-21. Multiple LIU attack errors down the stretch, combined with a key Cooper kill, played into Cornell's favor, and a Justus and Bennett block on the final point of the set was the exclamation point. The Big Red held off the LIU comeback in the second and won the frame, 25-23, to go up two sets to none for the match.
What started out as a third set that was neck-and-neck would become characteristic of a roller coaster, with each team taking turns holding the momentum. With the score tied, 15-15, LIU scored three-straight points to claim an 18-15 lead. After a Cornell timeout, the Big Red responded, notching four of the next five points to tie everything up, 19-19. M. Baptiste notched a pair of kills in the run and Justus added one of her own.
In a set that continued to be full of runs, it was LIU's turn, as the Sharks scored three of the next four points to reclaim a 22-20 advantage. The Big Red once again answered, tallying three-straight points to take a 23-22 lead over LIU. Moore and Bennett teamed up at the next and closed a block on the next play to increase the Big Red lead to 24-22. LIU called another timeout in one final attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was unsuccessful. The Sharks fought off one set point, but Bennett put the nail in the coffin with one final kill to give Cornell the 25-23 set three victory and the sweep of the Sharks.
The Cornell volleyball team's 5 p.m. match against North Carolina Central has been canceled due to COVID protocol. The team will be back in action for its final match of the Duke Classic tomorrow, Sept. 18 when it takes on the host Blue Devils at 2:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
