ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell women's volleyball continued its dominant start to Ivy League play Friday night, sweeping Dartmouth, 3-0, at Newman Arena.
Cornell opened the match with a 25-12 win in the first set before dominating the second, limiting Dartmouth to just eight points in a 25-8 victory. The Big Red completed the sweep with a 25-15 win in the third set to improve to 4-0 in Ivy League play and 8-5 overall.
Cornell hit an impressive .486 as a team, recording 42 kills, six service aces, eight total blocks and 45 digs while limiting Dartmouth to a .022 hitting percentage. Cornell held the Big Green to just four kills in the second set, while countering with their own astonishing .667 clip, tallying 17 kills and only one attack error.
Top Performers
Mackenzie Parsons led Cornell's offensive attack with 14 kills while hitting .706, adding a service ace and a block for 16 points.
Jaida Sione contributed 11 kills while hitting .391 and added four digs and two blocks for 12 points.
Ava Bogan recorded seven kills while hitting .429 and led the Big Red with six total blocks for 11 points.
Mary Wolcott directed the offense with 32 assists, adding two service aces, six digs and two points on the attack.
Kiran Rio led Cornell in digs 11 and added two kills and a service ace, while Sydney Zanca chipped in five kills without an attack error, hitting .556.
Set 1 – Cornell 25, Dartmouth 12
Cornell set the tone early, using a dominant stretch midway through the opening set to take a 25-12 victory.
After the teams traded points early, the Big Red took control with a six-point run to turn a 2-2 tie into an 8-2 advantage. Parsons and Sione contributed kills during the stretch, while a service ace from Mary Wolcott and multiple Dartmouth attack errors helped Cornell build momentum.
Cornell continued to apply pressure, extending its lead to 14-5 behind kills from Bogan and a pair of Dartmouth errors. The Big Red maintained a comfortable margin throughout the remainder of the set.
The Big Red closed the set by winning eight of the final 12 points, with Wolcott recording a service ace and a kill (her second of the night, catching Dartmouth out of position with a setter dump) before a block from Sione and Bogan secured the 25-12 win. The Big Red hit .375 in the opening set while holding Dartmouth to a negative hitting percentage.
Set 2 – Cornell 25, Dartmouth 8
Cornell delivered a remarkable second-set performance, overwhelming Dartmouth, 25-8, while hitting .667 and limiting the Big Green to just four kills.
The Big Red quickly established control after an early 1-1 tie, building a 4-2 advantage before continuing to pull away. A kill from Ava Bogan and Mary Wolcott's second service ace of the night helped Cornell take a 6-3 lead, and the Big Red continued to capitalize on Dartmouth's attack errors.
With Cornell leading 6-4, the Big Red won six of the next seven points to stretch the advantage to 12-5. Parsons sparked the run with consecutive kills, while Cornell's defense forced additional Dartmouth errors.
Cornell then took complete control, scoring seven consecutive points to extend its lead from 14-6 to 21-6. Parsons continued to lead the attack, recording back to back kills during the run, while Rio added a service ace and Dartmouth struggled to find answers against the Big Red's defensive pressure.
Cornell reached set point at 24-7 following a block by Ava Bogan, then closed out the set, 25-8, on a kill from Jaida Sione. The Big Red committed just one attack error in the set, showcasing its efficiency on both sides of the ball.
Set 3 – Cornell 25, Dartmouth 15
Cornell maintained its momentum in the third set, closing out the sweep with a 25-15 victory.
After Dartmouth scored the opening point, Cornell responded to take a 2-1 lead before the teams traded points through the early stages. The Big Red began to create separation with a strong stretch of serving and attacking, using a kill from Parsons and a service ace from Sarita Pomar to move ahead, 8-4.
Cornell continued to build its advantage, reaching a 10-4 lead before Dartmouth briefly trimmed the margin. Jaida Sione and Mackenzie Parsons helped keep the Big Red in control, combining for multiple kills as Cornell moved ahead, 13-9.
The Big Red then widened the gap with another productive stretch, scoring six of the next eight points to take a 19-11 lead. Bogan recorded a pair of kills during the run, while Zanca added another finish to keep Cornell firmly in command.
Cornell reached 23-14 following a kill from Rio and an attack error by Dartmouth. Nevaeh Tien added a service ace to put the Big Red one point from victory, and Sione delivered the final kill to seal the 25-15 win and complete the sweep.
The victory improved Cornell to 4-0 in Ivy League play, while Dartmouth fell to 6-8 overall and 0-4 in conference action.
Up Next
Cornell will look to extend its unbeaten Ivy League record Saturday, Oct. 10, when it hosts Harvard at Newman Arena. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.
