ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Cornell women's volleyball dropped a 3-0 decision to Michigan Sunday afternoon at Cliff Keen Arena, falling 25-19, 25-22, 25-15.
Cornell hit .177 as a team and finished with 34 kills, three service aces, eight blocks and 35 digs. The Big Red fell to 4-5 on the season with the loss.
Top Performers
Jaida Sione led Cornell with 11 kills while hitting .333 and added a block and a dig.
Mackenzie Parsons recorded seven kills while hitting .313, adding two blocks and a service ace.
Sydney Zanca contributed five kills on 11 attacks while hitting .364, while Kiran Rio added five kills, two digs and a service ace.
Ava Bogan finished with three kills and a team-high six blocks, while Haley Clark recorded a team-best 10 digs.
Mikayla Gray and Mary Wolcott split the setting duties, combining for 31 assists. Wolcott added seven digs.
Set 1 – Michigan 25, Cornell 19
Cornell and Michigan traded points early in the opening set, with the Big Red pulling even at 3-3 on a Michigan attack error.
The Wolverines gradually created separation, taking a 10-7 lead before Cornell answered with a Parsons kill and a Sione kill to pull within two.
Michigan led 14-9 before Cornell put together another push. Sione and Parsons provided kills, while Bogan and Ahrens combined for a block to help the Big Red close within 16-14.
Michigan answered with a three-point stretch to regain control. Cornell continued to battle behind kills from Sione and Zanca, cutting the deficit to 22-18, but the Wolverines scored three of the final four points to take the opening set, 25-19.
Set 2 – Michigan 25, Cornell 22
Cornell came out strong in the second set, opening a 4-0 lead behind a Sione kill, a Parsons kill, a Parsons service ace and a Michigan attack error.
The Big Red maintained the advantage through the early stages, leading 10-6 after consecutive points from Parsons and Zanca.
Michigan worked its way back into the set, eventually tying the score at 12-12. Cornell responded with kills from Rio and Parsons to move back in front, and the Big Red held a 16-15 edge midway through the frame.
The teams continued to exchange points, with the score tied at 17-17 and again at 18-18.
Cornell took a 21-20 lead following a Michigan service error, but the Wolverines responded with a four-point run to take a 24-21 advantage.
Zanca answered with a kill to extend the set, but Michigan closed out the frame on the next point, taking a 25-22 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3 – Michigan 25, Cornell 15
Michigan took control early in the third set, building a 6-2 advantage before Cornell answered with kills from Ahrens and Bogan to make it 7-4.
The Wolverines continued to hold the lead, moving ahead 12-6 before Cornell used kills from Parsons and Zanca to cut the deficit to 13-8.
Michigan then created additional separation with a five-point run, pushing its advantage to 18-9.
Cornell continued to compete through the final stretch, with Parsons and Sione contributing kills before Zanca added another point to make it 23-13.
The Big Red scored two more points late, including an attack error and a service ace from Sarita Pomar, but Michigan closed out the set, 25-15, to complete the 3-0 sweep.
Up Next
Cornell opens Ivy League play next Saturday, Sept. 26, hosting Columbia at Newman Arena. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
