NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Cornell volleyball team (7-16, 5-9 Ivy League) saw its 2023 season conclude with a three-set loss to the Yale Bulldogs (19-3, 14-0 Ivy League) on Saturday night from the John J. Lee Amphitheater.
Eliza Konvicka led the Big Red with nine kills and three blocks. The sophomore finished her 2023 season with 305 kills, becoming the first Big Red volleyball player to have 300 or more successful attacks since Breanna Wong had 324 in 2013. Senior Sydney Moore also had a solid game in her last match in a Cornell uniform, tying her season-high with eight kills and a team-high .467 hitting percentage. Audrey Leak led the Bulldogs with nine kills on the night, who will host the Ivy League Postseason Tournament next weekend.
Cornell came out strong in the opening set, surging to a 6-3 lead thanks to two kills from Konvicka and two attack errors by the Bulldogs. Yale would counter, taking an 11-10 lead on a kill by Besty Goodenow. The Bulldogs would stretch that lead to three until Moore came in with her second kill of the set to keep Cornell within striking distance at 14-12. Despite Moore's successful attack, Yale would go on a 5-0 run right after to take control. The Big Red would not get the deficit lower than that, as Yale won the opener, 25-15.
The second set started as many have had for the Big Red all season long as Cornell and Yale battled for positioning. But the tide would turn against the Big Red at the 6-6 mark, as a kill by Leak gave the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead. That lead would stretch to 11-6 before Cornell took a timeout, hoping to stop the mojo. It did not stop the momentum, as Yale would win eight out of 12 points to stretch its lead to 19-11. Although the team was down, Cornell was not out of the fight, as separate 3-0 and 4-0 runs highlighted by two kills by Brooke Cooper and aces from Konvicka and Stration put the Big Red within five. But Yale would pull out the frame, as a kill by Leak gave it the second set, 25-20.
Although the Big Red was down two sets to none, it did not show in the third, as it surged ahead with a 5-2 lead. But much like the first set, Yale would eventually battle back, taking a slim 12-11 lead. Once again, Cornell would respond, as a Stration ace sparked a 3-0 run to put them up by a score of 16-13. The Big Red would keep that three point advantage intact over the next couple of points, thanks to kills by Camryn Carlo, Konvicka, and Moore to put the team two points away from pushing the match to a fourth set. But the Bulldogs would respond in a big way, taking five consecutive points to lock up the third undefeated conference season since the Ivy League switched to round-robin conference play in 2001.
MATCH NOTES
- The Big Red has now lost ten consecutive matches against the Bulldogs. Its last win came in three sets on Nov. 10, 2017, in Ithaca, N.Y.
- Cornell ends its season in sixth place in the Ivy League at 7-16 and 5-9 in conference play.
- The Big Red recorded match highs in kills (17) and hitting percentage (.267) in the third set.
- Eliza Konvicka had three blocks in Saturday's loss. It is the 13th time the Houston, Texas native has hit that mark in a match this season.
- Sydney Moore had eight kills on Saturday, tying the most the San Diego, California native has had this season.
