CAMBRIDGE, Mass -- The Cornell volleyball team dug itself out of a 2-0 hole by winning three consecutive sets to take down the Harvard Crimson in a five-set thriller (19-25, 23-25, 25-17. 25-23, 15-14) on Friday night from the Malkin Athletic Center. Cornell improved to 6-12 and 4-5 in conference play, while Harvard dropped to 12-6 and 5-4. 

Sophomore Eliza Konvicka spearheaded the Big Red attack with 22 kills and four blocks, while her second-year counterpart Nicole Mallus chipped in 14 successful attacks and three blocks. Jaida Sione (nine kills) and Sydney Moore (eight kills, team-high seven total blocks) also pitched in to secure the victory for Cornell, who have now won four out of its last five trips to the Bay State. Katie Vorhies (14 kills) and Ashley Wang (13 kills) led in the loss for the Crimson, who have now lost four out of its last five against the Big Red.

The Crimson would come out swinging in the first set, bursting out to a 9-5 advantage until a Sydney Moore kill cut the Crimson's lead to one (10-9). The Big Red would stay within reach, as the one-two combo of Eliza Konvicka and Nicole Mallus kept Harvard's lead to one throughout the later half of the set. But with the score at 20-18, Harvard would take control, winning five out of the last six points to clinch the first, 25-19.

Cornell would continue to duel with Harvard in the second frame, as both teams would not get a lead larger than two points through the second. The tide looked to be turning in the Big Red's direction in crunch time, as a kill by Konvicka gave the team a 23-22 advantage. However, Harvard would steal the second, as an attack error by Cornell gave the Crimson a hard-fought second set. 25-23.

The Big Red was in the same situation as last Saturday's match against Columbia, as it needed the third set to stay alive. And exactly like the third set on Saturday, Cornell answered the call, recording a match-high 15 kills and a .565 hitting percentage to seal the third set, 25-17. Six Big Red athletes recorded a kill in the third, including Konvicka (4), Mallus (4), Moore (3), Jaida Sione (3), and Camryn Carlo (1). 

With just one tie score and lead change in the third, the Big Red hoped that same firepower would carry over into the fourth. However, a tug of war ensued until a block by Alexandra Farquhar and Ariana White gave the Crimson a 17-16 lead. The momentum was shifting on the side of the home team as the Crimson faithful rose to its feet. Despite the one-point advantage, the Ivy League kill leader in Konvicka had other plans, rattling off three-straight kills to give the Big Red a 19-17 lead, forcing a Crimson timeout. The Big Red would never relinquish the lead again, as a Mallus kill pushed the game to a decisive fifth for the second-straight match. 

The final frame had been the Big Red's kryptonite over the past two years, as the team had lost seven straight five-setters coming into the weekend. However, Cornell would ride the momentum wave, flipping an 8-8 tie into an 11-9 advantage on kills by Konvicka and Moore alongside a Crimson attack error. Harvard would continue pestering the Big Red, as a Ryleigh Patterson kill trimmed the Big Red's lead to one. But as she had done all night, Eliza Konvicka answered the call, as her 22nd kill and an attack error by Patterson gave the Big Red the season sweep over the Crimson for the first time since 2019.

Match Notes

• Cornell's five-set victory over Harvard is the first for the team on the road against an Ivy opponent since the Big Red took down Penn on Oct. 4, 2019, in the Palestra. The Big Red also lost the first two sets in that matchup.
• With Friday's win, Cornell improved to 46-30 all-time against Harvard and handed the Crimson its first loss inside the Malkin Athletic Center in 2023.
• Eliza Konvicka recorded her fourth career 20-plus kill performance in the win over the Crimson. It was also the first time the sophomore went over that mark since securing 20 kills in a sweep of Morgan State on Sept. 15. 
• Sophomore Nicole Mallus continued to rack up kills, as it was the fourth-straight match that the McLean, Va. native had ten or more successful attacks. 
• Setter Doga Ozalp was an assist machine for the Big Red, matching her career-high with 48 given out on Friday night. It is also the seventh time this season that the sophomore has handed out 40 or more. '
• The Big Red had a .304 attack percentage in Friday's match against the Crimson, making it the second time the team has hit over .300. The other was Cornell's season opener against Niagara on Sept. 1, where the team notched a .318 in a four-set win over the Purple Eagles in Hamilton, N.Y.

Up Next

The Big Red will finish its road trip with a Saturday evening match against Dartmouth. The opening serve is at 5:00 p.m., and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.