ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell women's volleyball continued its Ivy League dominance Saturday night, sweeping Yale in straight sets (25–16, 25–15, 30–28) at Newman Arena to extend its unbeaten conference record to 5–0.
The Big Red (10–5, 5–0 Ivy) came out firing, cruising through the first two sets behind sharp attacking and stout blocking before weathering a late surge from Yale (7–6, 3–2 Ivy) in a dramatic third frame that stretched to 30–28.
Set 1: Red Hot Start
Cornell wasted no time setting the tone, hitting an eye-popping .469 in the opening frame with 16 kills and just one error. Eliza Konvicka (14) and Mackenzie Parsons (20) powered the offense early, while Ava Bogan's (16) presence at the net helped the Big Red pull away midway through the set. Cornell's front line stuffed the Bulldogs four times and closed on a 9–3 run to take the opener 25–16.
Set 2: All Systems Go
The momentum rolled straight into the second. Despite a brief Yale lead early, Cornell's balanced attack proved too much for the Bulldogs to handle. Parsons stayed efficient, hitting .500 for the match (11 kills, one error on 20 swings), while Meghan Gaffigan (22) contributed timely kills and key blocks. Cornell again controlled play from start to finish, winning 25–15 behind a 25–15 team dig advantage over Yale and precise setting from Doga Ozalp (7) and freshman Mikayla Gray (18).
Set 3: Determination Seals the Sweep
Yale came out swinging in the third, building multiple early leads behind the play of Laurece Abraham (11 kills, .400) and Betsy Goodenow (9 kills). The Bulldogs held the edge deep into the set before Cornell clawed back. Konvicka (15 kills, 17 points total in game) delivered when it mattered, hammering back-to-back kills to tie things at 27–27. After a series of long rallies and two crucial Yale service errors, Parsons closed the door with a kill from the middle, hitting close to the sideline, for the 30–28 win — sealing Cornell's fifth straight Ivy victory.
By the Numbers
Cornell hit .308 as a team to Yale's .091, owning advantages in kills (48–34), digs (55–49), and blocks (10–5). Bogan added 7 kills and 7 block assists for 10.5 points, while Sarita Pomar (2) anchored the back row with 16 digs.
Ozalp distributed 23 assists and added 5 digs, with Gray close behind at 14 assists and 6 digs. The Big Red also recorded 10 team blocks to Yale's 5, reflecting the squad's front-row dominance.
Staying Perfect
With the win, Cornell remains the lone unbeaten team in Ivy League play, continuing a 5–0 run fueled by depth, chemistry, and consistency on both sides of the ball. The Big Red now turn their sights to the next stretch of conference play as momentum builds in Newman Arena.
Up Next
Cornell will continue Ivy play next weekend as they hit the road to take on Princeton Friday night, October 17 with first serve at 7:00 p.m. on their home court before then facing Penn on Saturday, October 18 at 5:00 p.m.
