NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — The Cornell women's volleyball team will open Ivy League play on the road this weekend when it travels to New York City to face Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 27. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in Levien Gymnasium, with the match available on ESPN and live stats provided.
Big Red So Far This Season
The Big Red (5-5) enter conference play after a balanced non-league schedule that included wins over Canisius, Colgate, Niagara, Buffalo and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Cornell has shown efficiency on offense, hitting .255 as a team while averaging 12.95 kills per set, and its defense has held opponents to a .227 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter Eliza Konvicka leads the Big Red with 148 kills (4.23 per set) while hitting .306. Middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons adds another reliable option with 96 kills and a .443 hitting percentage, along with 36 blocks. Defensively, Ava Bogan has posted 36 total blocks, and libero Sarita Pomar paces the back row with 148 digs (3.79 per set). Setters Doga Ozalp and Mikayla Gray have anchored the offense, Ozalp with 176 assists this season (5.18 per set) and Gray with 173 (5.09).
Scouting Columbia
Columbia (2-7) will host its Ivy League opener after a non-conference slate highlighted by road wins at Siena and Iona. The Lions average 12.42 kills per set while hitting .212 as a team.
Outside hitter Elena Maynulet leads Columbia with 112 kills (3.11 per set) and has been the most consistent offensive weapon, while middle blocker Eva Atkins has contributed 83 kills and 24 blocks. Setter Ruby van der Heide averages 5.79 assists per set, and libero Victoria Gao has a team-high 88 digs.
The Lions have been effective at the service line with 75 aces, averaging 2.0 per set to match their opponents. However, Columbia has dropped four matches in five sets this season, including a pair of tight non-league contests earlier this month.
Cornell and Columbia last met in October 2024, beating Columbia in a three set sweep.
The Big Red will return to Newman Arena next weekend to continue Ivy League play vs. Harvard.
