ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell volleyball team was swept (17-25, 20-25, 22-25) by the Princeton Tigers on Friday night from Newman Arena. Cornell dropped to 6-14 and 4-7 in conference play, while the Tigers improved to 11-8 and 8-3. 

Sophomore Eliza Konvicka had 14 kills and three blocks on the night, and Kate Stration had a career-high five kills for the Big Red. Valerie Nutakor had nine kills to lead the Tigers, who has now won seven-straight matches against Cornell. 

The Big Red and Tigers dueled early in the first set, with both teams trading the first couple of points. But a 4-0 run by the Tigers proved to be the difference maker, as it stretched its lead to 15-10, forcing a media timeout. Cornell tried to chip away, as a kill by Stration kept the deficit at five. However, Princeton would keep its foot on the gas pedal, eventually winning the first set, 25-17. 

After the in-between set break, Cornell came out firing, as two kills by Konvicka and one by Doga Ozalp gave the Big Red a 4-2 advantage. The battle for momentum immediately switched to the Tigers, as it went on a 3-0 run to take a 5-4 lead. Much like the first set, Cornell would continue to hand around, as a service ace by Sarita Pomar and combo block by Konvicka and Sydney Moore put the team behind by two (8-10). The Tigers would continue to push ahead, however, winning five out of the next six points to take a 15-9 lead. Despite the deficit, the Big Red continued to hang around, as a block by Ava Bogan and Stration put the team within three late in the set (23-20). But consecutive kills by Nutakor sealed the second set for the Tigers, 25-20.

The third set was the most entertaining on Friday night, as Cornell continued to tango with the Tigers, eventually taking a 12-11 lead on an ace by Megan Bickel. The lead for Cornell would be short-lived, as a 7-2 run by the Tigers gave them a four-point cushion. Cornell would answer, knocking the deficit to one, thanks to kills from Camryn Carlo and Moore, along with a bad set by Princeton. The orange would take a timeout and immediately rush out of the break by winning two straight points, putting the pressure back on Cornell. The Big Red would respond, cutting the lead back down to two, until a kill by Sydney Draper clinched the set (25-22) and the match for Princeton. 

MATCH NOTES

• Friday's loss was the fifth straight for Cornell at home against the Tigers. The Big Red's last win over Princeton in Newman Arena came in four sets on Oct. 13, 2017.
• Eliza Konvicka recorded ten or more kills for the 14th time this season. The sophomore had ten of those instances all of last year. 
• Sydney Moore's four blocks on Friday extend her streak of four or more stuffs to nine consecutive matches. It is the longest in career history for the senior. Moore is also four blocks away from hitting the century mark in 2023.  
• Setter Doga Ozalp had 23 assists in the loss, making it the 17th time this season that the sophomore has hit that mark. 
• Cornell had seven blocks as a team, snapping an eight-match streak of recording nine or more. It's the first time the red and white fell below that mark since losing to Dartmouth in straight sets on Sept. 29.

UP NEXT

Cornell will celebrate its four seniors on Saturday afternoon as it hosts Penn in the final home game of the 2023 season. The first serve is at 5:00 p.m., and the match will be available to stream on ESPN+.