ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell volleyball junior middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons has been named Ivy League Athlete of the Week for the second time this season following a dominant performance in the Big Red's straight-set victory over Columbia on Saturday.
Parsons delivered one of her best performances of the season, recording 18 kills while hitting .538. Her six kills per set were the second-most she has recorded in a single match this season. She also contributed two service aces, three digs and three blocks, including one solo block, finishing with 22 points for an average of 7.3 points per set.
"Mack has been playing at such a high level in every aspect of her game," said The Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball Trudy Vande Berg. "She wants to win and is going to find a way to score on every opportunity. Her best volleyball is still ahead of her."
The honor marks another milestone in Parsons' standout career with the Big Red. She earned unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors and first-team All-Ivy recognition in 2024 before earning second-team All-Ivy honors and co-Ivy League Player of the Week recognition in 2025.
Career Highlights
2025 | Sophomore Season
Parsons started all 25 matches for Cornell, finishing with 246 kills, a team-best .437 hitting percentage, 71 total blocks and 306.5 points across 93 sets. She ranked among the nation's top 20 in hitting percentage throughout the season, recorded double-digit kills 15 times and hit .500 or better in 10 matches. She was also named co-Ivy League Player of the Week during the final week of the regular season and earned second-team All-Ivy honors.
2024 | Freshman Season
Parsons made an immediate impact, starting all 24 matches and earning unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors and first-team All-Ivy recognition. She led the Ivy League and ranked 15th nationally with a .405 hitting percentage, recording 270 kills in 92 sets. Her hitting percentage ranked second in Cornell single-season history.
She added 84 total blocks, including 22 solo blocks, and 20 service aces for 335 points. Parsons recorded a career-high 21 kills against Yale on Nov. 16 and a career-best seven blocks against Penn on Oct. 18. She also earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors five times and was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Sept. 23. Against Le Moyne on Sept. 20, she recorded 12 kills on a .800 hitting percentage, the highest single-match hitting percentage in the Ivy League that season.
Prior to Cornell
Parsons played four seasons at Poway High School in California, totaling 1,347 kills and 305 blocks. She led the state in kills among middle blockers as a senior with 587 and was named the team's best offensive player for three consecutive seasons from 2021-23. She also played four seasons of basketball, earning league MVP and first-team all-league honors in 2023. Parsons served as senior class president and treasurer during the 2023-24 school year.
Up Next
Cornell returns home for a pair of Ivy League matches this weekend. The Big Red hosts Princeton on Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. in Newman Arena. The match will air nationally on ESPNU, marking Cornell's first nationally televised home match. Cornell then welcomes Penn on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 5 p.m. The match will stream on ESPN+.
