HAMILTON, N.Y. -- The Cornell volleyball team battled hard to win the third set of its matchup with the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday afternoon from Cotterell Court. But it was not enough, as the Big Red fell to the Mountaineers, 1-3 (15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 19-25) in its first match of the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament. Cornell fell to 1-4 on the season, and West Virginia improved to 3-5. 

Sophomore Eliza Konvicka recorded a team-high 12 kills for the Big Red, while junior Camryn Carlo had seven kills, four blocks, and a team-high .583 attack percentage in the defeat. Senior Sydney Moore was also a star on the front line for Cornell, leading the team with nine total blocks and four kills. Hailey Green paced the Mountaineers with a team-high 17 kills and three blocks, which won the first-ever matchup between both schools. 

West Virginia had an edge in almost every statistical category, including kills (55-35), assists (46-34), and digs (54-42) in a match that saw 21 tie scores and eight lead changes. Despite being down two sets to one, the highlight for the Big Red came late in the third set. Deadlocked at 20 apiece, Cornell made its move, as Konvicka netted a season-high three service aces in a row to give the Big Red a 23-20 lead. The Mountaineers made it interesting, cutting the deficit to one at 24-23, until a stuff block by freshman Jaida Sione and Carlo sealed the set for Cornell. The team also recorded a match-high .281 hitting percentage and 12 kills, with Carlo, Konvicka, and Moore three each. 

With the team grabbing the momentum, their was a chance the Big Red would push the match to five sets, as it started the fourth on a 4-2 run. The Mountaineers silenced the advantage, grabbing a 5-4 lead that it would never give back. Cornell would put the pressure on late in the set, as an ace by junior Megan Bickel cut West Virginia's lead to one at 15-16, but the blue and gold would finish the set on a 9-4 run to seal the match to get its third win of the season.

Match Highlights

• Junior Camryn Carlo recorded her 200th career kill during the third set of Friday's loss.
• Carlo's .538 hitting percentage was also the highest for the junior since recording a .750 in a loss to Dartmouth on Sept. 4, 2022.
• Eliza Konvicka recorded three-consecutive service aces for the third time in her career.
• Sydney Moore netted a new career high nine total blocks in the loss to the Mountaineers. 

Up Next

The Big Red will return to Cotterell Court for two more matches at the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 9. Cornell takes on UAlbany at 11 a.m. before taking on host Colgate at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.