ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell volleyball won the first set for the fifth time this season in Friday's match with Yale. But the momentum could not be held, as the Big Red lost in four sets (25-19, 21-25, 9-25, 21-25) to the Bulldogs from Newman Arena. Cornell drops to 4-9 overall and 2-2 in conference play, while Yale improves to 9-3 overall and 4-0 in the Ivy League. 

Nicole Mallus (11 kills, team-high .391 hitting percentage) and Eliza Konvicka (10 kills, three service aces) led the attack in the loss for Cornell, who have lost nine straight matches to the Bulldogs. Audrey Leak and Mila Yarich each had double-digit kills in the win for the Bulldogs. 

Feeding off the momentum of last Saturday's sweep of Harvard, the Big Red came out firing in the first set, starting the game on a 10-5 run. Four players recorded kills in that span, including Megan Bickel, Konvicka, Mallus, and Alexa Orent. Yale would cut Cornell's lead to three (16-13) later in the set on a block by Leak. Despite the momentum swing, Konvicka and Mallus had other plans, pushing Cornell on a 3-1 run to stretch its lead back to five (19-14). The Bulldogs would not get any closer in the first, as a service ace by Sarita Pomar and an attack error by Yarich gave the Big Red the first set, 25-21. Cornell would never lose the lead throughout the first, and the red and white had a team-high 14 kills and a match-high .417 hitting percentage in the opening set. 

The second set was a different story, as both teams traded blows, with neither team having a lead higher than two points. Despite the back and forth, it looked like the Big Red seized momentum late in the set, as a service ace by Doga Ozalp pushed Cornell ahead for the second time in the match, 18-17. But Yale had other plans, as a 3-0 run allowed them to pull away late, with a kill by Leak to seal the second set. That second set alone had seven tie scores and four lead changes. 

With the match knotted at one set apiece, Yale continued to feed off the second set, bursting out to a 6-2 lead. Cornell would cut the deficit to two (4-6), until the Bulldogs raced ahead, winning ten out of 11 points to firmly take control at 16-5. The Big Red had no answer for the Yale offense in the third, as a .300 hitting percentage proved costly as the Bulldogs handed Cornell its worst set loss of the season, 9-25. 

Despite a rough third set, the Big Red came out strong in the fourth, inching ahead with a 5-3 score. But the magic disappeared, as Yale would match with a 7-0 run to put Cornell behind the eight ball, 5-10. Cornell tried to get its offensive attack going late in the set, as kills by Camryn Carlo and Mallus forced a Yale timeout with the score at 16-21. Yale did not shy away from the battle, as a kill by Laurece Abraham sealed the fourth set and the match for Yale. 

Game Notes

• With ten blocks tonight, Cornell now has six matches in which it has recorded double-digit marks in that department in 2023. 
• Eliza Konvicka recorded her 200th point of the season with a service ace in the third set. The Houston, Texas native is now 65 points shy of her total from a year ago. 
• Nicole Mallus had a season-high .391 hitting percentage and has ten or more kills in three of the past four matches for Cornell.
• Sophomore Doga Ozalp continued to hand out assists, recording 30-plus for the eighth time in 13 matches this season.

Up Next
Cornell looks to turn things around on Saturday as it hosts Brown from Newman Arena at Bartels Hall. The first serve is at 5:00 p.m., and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.