PRINCETON, N.J. — Cornell women's volleyball remained unbeaten in Ivy League play Saturday night, sweeping Princeton, 3-0, at Dillon Gym.
The Big Red controlled the opening set, 25-22, before holding off a late Princeton push to take the second, 25-23. Cornell then battled through a back-and-forth third set, overcoming a late Princeton rally to win, 27-25, and complete the sweep.
Cornell improved to 7-5 overall and 3-0 in Ivy League play with the win. The Big Red hit .340 as a team, recording 45 kills, four service aces, 10 total blocks and 36 digs while limiting Princeton to a .215 hitting percentage.
Top Performers
Ava Bogan led Cornell's offensive attack with 11 kills while hitting .500 and added a team-high six blocks for 14.5 points.
Mackenzie Parsons and Jaida Sione each recorded 10 kills. Parsons hit .400 and added three blocks for 12 points, while Sione contributed three blocks for 11.5 points.
Kiran Rio added eight kills, four digs and a service ace, while Mary Wolcott directed the offense with 35 assists. Wolcott also recorded four kills, five digs and three blocks.
Haley Clark contributed two service aces and five digs, while Trinidy Tien added seven digs.
Set 1 – Cornell 25, Princeton 22
Cornell opened the match with a strong offensive performance, hitting .417 to take the first set, 25-22.
The Big Red jumped out to an early 5-2 lead behind kills from Bogan and a pair of Princeton attack errors. Princeton battled back to tie the set at 9-9, but Cornell responded with three straight points, including kills from Sione and Bogan, to regain control.
Cornell extended its advantage to 19-14 following a kill from Wolcott, but the Tigers mounted a late rally. Princeton scored six of the next seven points to pull within one at 20-21.
The Big Red answered with a kill from Parsons before Sione delivered another kill to make it 23-21. Cornell reached set point at 24-22, and a Princeton attack error gave the Big Red the opening-set victory.
Set 2 – Cornell 25, Princeton 23
Princeton took an early lead in the second set, but Cornell battled back and held off another late push from the Tigers to win, 25-23.
The Tigers led 7-4 before Cornell answered with a 6-3 stretch to tie the set at 10-10. Rio sparked the run with a kill and a service ace, while Parsons added a pair of kills.
The teams continued to trade points before Cornell created some separation late in the set. A Princeton attack error followed by kills from Parsons and Bogan helped the Big Red build a 20-17 advantage.
Princeton responded with three straight points to tie the set at 20-20 and later moved ahead, 22-20. Cornell remained composed, pulling even at 22-22 before taking a 24-23 lead on a Parsons kill.
Bogan and Sione then combined for a block on the final point, giving Cornell the 25-23 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3 – Cornell 27, Princeton 25
Cornell closed out the sweep with a back-and-forth third set, overcoming a late Princeton rally to win, 27-25.
The teams traded points early, with Cornell taking an 8-7 lead before extending the advantage to 14-10. Parsons and Bogan helped fuel the Big Red's attack during the stretch, while Cornell's blocking continued to create problems for Princeton.
Cornell maintained its advantage through the middle of the set, leading 18-13 before Princeton began to chip away. The Tigers pulled within 18-15, but Cornell responded with a kill from Rio and continued to hold the lead.
The Big Red reached 24-21 after a kill from Sione, putting Cornell within one point of the match. Princeton, however, scored three straight points to tie the set at 24-24 and then took a 25-24 lead.
Cornell answered immediately, with Bogan recording a kill to even the score at 25-25. A block from Bogan and Zanca then put the Big Red ahead, 26-25, before Clark delivered a service ace to seal the 27-25 victory and complete the three-set sweep.
Cornell's win moved the Big Red to 3-0 in Ivy League play, while Princeton fell to 4-7 overall and 2-1 in conference action.
Up Next
Cornell will return home next weekend to face Dartmouth on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m., followed by Harvard on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 5 p.m.
