ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell volleyball junior middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons has been named the Ivy League Volleyball Athlete of the Week after leading the Big Red to a pair of three-set sweeps over Dartmouth and Harvard last weekend.
Parsons dominated offensively, recording 28 kills on a .524 hitting percentage while adding five service aces and five total blocks across the two matches. She totaled 36 points, averaging 6.0 points per set, as Cornell extended its winning streak to five matches and improved to 5-0 in Ivy League play.
Parsons opened the weekend with a high-caliber performance against Dartmouth, recording 14 kills on a .706 hitting percentage. She added one service ace and one block to help Cornell secure the sweep. Her hitting percentage marked her most efficient performance of the 2026 season.
The junior middle blocker followed with another 14-kill performance against Harvard, hitting .400 while recording four service aces and four total blocks. She finished with 20 points in the three-set victory, matching her season high in service aces.
Through 14 matches this season, Parsons leads Cornell with 152 kills and 190.5 points. She is averaging 3.10 kills and 3.89 points per set while contributing 41 total blocks and 13 service aces across 49 sets. Parsons also owns a .255 hitting percentage on the season.
The weekly honor adds to Parsons' growing list of accolades at Cornell. After earning unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors and first-team All-Ivy recognition in 2024, she continued to establish herself as one of the conference's most efficient attackers during her sophomore campaign.
In 2025, Parsons started all 25 matches and led the Big Red with a .437 hitting percentage, ranking among the nation's top 20 in the category throughout the season. She totaled 246 kills, 71 blocks and 306.5 points while recording double-digit kills in 15 matches. Her performance earned her second-team All-Ivy honors and co-Ivy League Player of the Week recognition during the final week of the regular season.
Cornell has opened Ivy League play with five consecutive victories, sweeping each of its first five conference opponents. The Big Red, which stands at 9-5 overall, returns to the road this weekend to face Brown before taking on Yale.
