NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Cornell women's volleyball saw its unbeaten start to Ivy League play come to an end Saturday night, falling to Yale, 3-1, at Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
The Big Red dropped the opening set, 25-17, before responding with a commanding 25-18 victory in the second to even the match. Yale regained the lead with a 25-21 win in the third set and closed out the match, 25-20, in the fourth to hand Cornell its first Ivy League loss of the season and move the Big Red to 10-6 overall and 6-1 in conference play.
Cornell hit .243 as a team, recording 56 kills, two service aces, seven total blocks and 60 digs. The Big Red found its rhythm in the second set, hitting .483 with 18 kills, but Yale responded by hitting .250 in the third and .268 in the fourth to secure the victory.
Top Performers
Ava Bogan led Cornell with 15 kills while hitting .636, adding six total blocks and 18.5 points.
Jaida Sione also recorded 15 kills, finishing with 15.5 points and one block assist.
Mackenzie Parsons contributed nine kills, three digs and one block assist.
Mary Wolcott directed the offense with 45 assists, adding eight digs and one block assist.
Sara Pomar anchored the back row with 12 digs, while Kiran Rio added seven kills and 10 digs.
Set 1 – Yale 25, Cornell 17
Yale took the opening set, 25-17, using a late scoring run to pull away after the teams battled through a competitive start.
Cornell held a 9-7 advantage early, but Yale responded to tie the score at 9-9. The Big Red continued to trade points with the Bulldogs, with kills from Ava Bogan, Jaida Sione and Sydney Zanca, helping Cornell stay within reach.
With the score tied at 13-13, Yale gained momentum behind a series of kills, a service ace and Cornell attack errors to build a 19-14 lead. The Bulldogs maintained the advantage through the closing points, taking the first set, 25-17.
Set 2 – Cornell 25, Yale 18
Cornell responded emphatically in the second set, hitting .483 with 18 kills to even the match at one set apiece.
The Big Red established an early lead and moved ahead 6-3 before Yale worked back to tie the score at 9-9. Cornell regained control with a decisive stretch, using strong attacking and blocking to extend its advantage to 16-9.
Ava Bogan helped fuel the run with multiple kills, while Sydney Zanca and Mary Wolcott contributed at the net with kills and dishing out key assists as Cornell continued to capitalize on Yale errors. The Big Red pushed its lead to 20-10 and maintained a comfortable margin down the stretch, closing out the set, 25-18, on a kill by Mary Wolcott.
Set 3 – Yale 25, Cornell 21
Yale reclaimed the lead in the match with a 25-21 victory in the third set, overcoming an early Cornell surge.
The Big Red opened the frame with four consecutive points and extended its advantage to 7-2 behind strong attacking from Ava Bogan and Jaida Sione. Cornell continued to hold the lead through the middle stages, moving ahead 16-10.
Yale gradually worked its way back into the set, stringing together points to close the gap before tying the score at 16-16. The teams traded points from there, with Cornell staying within reach at 19-18.
The Bulldogs pulled ahead late, however, scoring six of the final nine points to reach set point and finish the frame, 25-21, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set 4 – Yale 25, Cornell 20
Cornell battled to extend the match in the fourth set, but Yale closed out the contest with a 25-20 victory.
The Big Red took an early 3-1 lead behind consecutive kills from Mackenzie Parsons before Yale responded to tie the set at 3-3. The teams continued to trade points through the early stages, reaching an 8-8 deadlock.
Yale gained separation with a scoring stretch to move ahead 13-11 and later extended its advantage to 16-12. Cornell continued to fight back, with kills from Jaida Sione, Kiran Rio and Mackenzie Parsons helping the Big Red remain within striking distance.
Cornell pulled within three at 20-17, but Yale answered with a late run to reach match point at 24-18. The Big Red saved two match points, including a kill from Sione, before Yale secured the final point for a 25-20 win and the four-set victory.
Up Next
Cornell will travel to Columbia next Saturday, October 24 to continue Ivy play.
