ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell volleyball battled hard for the first two sets of Saturday's match against Iowa from Newman Arena at Bartels Hall. But the Big Red could not hold onto the momentum, losing in straight sets (22-25, 25-27, 11-25) to the Hawkeyes in its second match of the Cornell Invitational. The red and white dropped to 2-7 on the year, while Iowa improved to 8-4.

Sophomore Nicole Mallus (nine kills, two digs, one block) and Eliza Konvicka (nine kills, six digs, two blocks) led the attack for the Big Red. Camryn Carlo (four kills, five blocks) and Sydney Moore (three kills, five blocks, team-high .375 hitting percentage) also played well for the red and white. Nataly Moravec (13 kills, three blocks) and Caitlan Buettner (nine kills, two blocks) led the Hawkeyes, who took the first-ever matchup in program history.

Both teams had similar stat lines on the afternoon, with Iowa having the edge in kills (45-32), hitting percentage (.200-.126), assists (43-30), and services aces (8-3). Cornell led the stat sheet in blocks (10.0-5.0) and had four fewer errors than the Hawkeyes (17-21). 

While both the first and second set were back and forth, the second set was highlight-filled, with the first 12 points split down the middle. However, Doga Ozalp broke the 6-6 tie with an ace to give the Big Red a 7-6 lead. Paired with a stuff block by Moore and Jaida Sione right after, Cornell had its advantage of the set (8-6) at that point. After a rally by Iowa to cut the lead to one, Carlo and Konvicka teamed up on a stuff block to stretch the lead back to two. But the back and forth continued, as Iowa eventually took a 17-16 lead to force a Cornell timeout. The stoppage sparked a run for the red and white, winning six out of 10 points to jump in the driver's seat at 23-19. Mallus recorded two kills in that run, while Konvicka and Sione each chipped in one. With the momentum on its side, it looked like Cornell would tie things up at one set apiece. But the Hawkeyes had other plans, as five kills and a service ace helped Iowa wrap up the second set, 27-25. 

The Big Red tried to take the momentum back in the third, but it was too little too late, as Iowa built a 7-0 lead that it would never give back, taking the set and dropping Cornell to 2-7 on the season. 

Match Notes

• Freshman Ava Bogan recorded her first career kills for Cornell during the third set of Saturday's match. It was also the first time Bogan has seen the court this season. 
• Camryn Carlo and Sydney Moore's five total blocks on Saturday currently put them 1-2 in the Ivy League. Carlo has 38 on the year, while Moore has 37. 
• The first set was the best for Cornell on the afternoon, with 15 kills, five errors, and a .233 hitting percentage.  
• Eliza Konvicka's nine kills on Saturday puts her at 124 kills on the season, which is first in the Ivy League. Konvicka also leads the league in average kills per set with 3.88.
• Sophomore Doga Ozalp accounted for 20 of the Big Red's 30 assists in Saturday's match. She also hit 300 assists on the season during the third set and is currently fourth in the Ivy League in assists/set (8.82). 
• Cornell drops to 2-10 all-time against Big-10 opponents since 1972. Its last win over a Big-10 team came against Rutgers on Sept. 20, 1991, in Piscataway, N.J. 

Up Next

The Big Red have six days off before it opens Ivy League play against Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 5:00 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.