ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell women's volleyball wrapped up its home tournament Saturday with a pair of hard-fought five-set matches at Newman Arena against UAlbany and Syracuse.
UAlbany 3, Cornell 2
Cornell opened Saturday's action with a back-and-forth battle against UAlbany, eventually falling 23-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 18-16. The Big Red led 2-1 after three sets and fought to even the fifth at 16-16 before UAlbany closed out the match with the final two points.
Top Performers
Mackenzie Parsons led Cornell with 16 kills, adding six blocks and five digs. Jaida Sione followed with 13 kills, while Ellery Williamson also recorded 13 kills and nine digs. Ava Bogan chipped in 11 kills and six total blocks, while Mary Wolcott directed the offense with 30 assists and seven digs.
Set 1 – Cornell 25, UAlbany 23
The opening set quickly developed into a back-and-forth affair.
UAlbany jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Cornell responded with five straight points to take a 5-2 advantage. The Great Danes answered and eventually drew even at 6-6 before the teams continued trading points throughout the frame.
Neither side could pull away as the set reached the late stages. Cornell took a 20-18 lead on a Parsons service ace, but UAlbany answered to tie the score at 20-20.
The Big Red again moved in front, taking a 22-20 lead, only to see UAlbany pull even at 22-22. Cornell then got a kill from Bogan before a Trinidy Tien service ace put the Big Red ahead 23-22. After UAlbany tied it again, Sione delivered back-to-back kills to close the set and give Cornell a 25-23 victory.
Set 2 – UAlbany 25, Cornell 21
Cornell carried its momentum into the second set, opening with a 3-0 lead before UAlbany settled in.
The teams traded points early, with Cornell holding a 10-9 edge before the Great Danes began to create separation. UAlbany scored six straight points to turn a 10-11 deficit into a 15-11 advantage.
Cornell battled back, cutting the margin to 15-14 behind kills from Sione and Parsons, but UAlbany answered with another stretch to move ahead 20-16.
The Big Red continued to fight, with Williamson contributing two kills during a late push that brought Cornell within 23-19. UAlbany reached set point at 24-19, and although Parsons answered with a kill and another UAlbany error made it 24-21, the Great Danes finished the set on the next point to even the match at 1-1.
Set 3 – Cornell 25, UAlbany 23
The third set was another battle from the opening serve.
UAlbany established an early 8-4 advantage, but Cornell steadily chipped away. Two Williamson service aces helped the Big Red pull within 8-7 before the teams continued trading points.
UAlbany eventually took a 13-10 lead, but Cornell responded with a five-point run to move in front, 15-14. The teams remained within a point of one another through the middle of the set before Cornell used a late push to take control.
With the score tied 19-19, Cornell scored three of the next four points, including a Tien service ace, to take a 22-20 lead. UAlbany tied the set at 22-22, but Williamson answered with a kill to put Cornell back in front.
After another UAlbany point, Williamson struck again to make it 24-23, and the Big Red closed the set on an attack error to take a 2-1 match lead.
Set 4 – UAlbany 25, Cornell 20
UAlbany came out quickly in the fourth set, but Cornell initially held a 9-8 advantage after a Sione kill.
The Great Danes responded with a decisive stretch, scoring seven of the next eight points to take a 15-10 lead. Cornell refused to let the set get away, using a Parsons service ace and a kill from Parsons to pull within 16-15.
UAlbany again created separation, pushing its lead to 21-19 before scoring four of the final five points to force a deciding fifth set.
Set 5 – UAlbany 18, Cornell 16
The deciding set lived up to the intensity of the first four.
Neither team could gain more than a two-point advantage as the score moved from 3-3 to 10-10. UAlbany moved ahead 13-10, but Cornell answered with three straight points, including a Bogan kill and a Tien service ace, to pull even at 13-13.
The teams traded points again to reach 15-15, and a UAlbany service error gave Cornell a 16-15 lead.
UAlbany answered with a point to tie the set, then regained the advantage at 17-16. The Great Danes closed the match on the next point, taking the fifth set, 18-16, and the match, 3-2.
Syracuse 3, Cornell 2
Cornell returned to the court Saturday evening for another five-set battle, this time against Syracuse. The Big Red dropped the opening set, 25-22, before responding with a 25-23 victory in the second.
Syracuse edged Cornell, 26-24, in a dramatic third set, but the Big Red answered emphatically in the fourth, rolling to a 25-16 victory to force a fifth set. The Orange then held on for a 15-11 decision in the finale.
Top Performers
Ava Bogan delivered a standout performance for the Big Red, recording 16 kills while hitting .522 and adding a team-high eight total blocks. Mackenzie Parsons added 12 kills and eight digs, while Ellery Williamson recorded nine kills and a team-best 13 digs.
Mary Wolcott totaled 27 assists, while Mikayla Gray added 12 assists in the five-set battle. Trinidy Tien contributed 15 digs, and Bogan and Parsons helped Cornell finish with 12 team blocks.
Set 1 – Syracuse 25, Cornell 22
Syracuse opened the match with a 3-1 lead before Cornell quickly answered, tying the set at 3-3.
The teams continued trading points, with neither side able to create much separation through the middle of the frame. Syracuse eventually moved ahead 15-10, but Cornell responded with a four-point run that included kills from Sione and Williamson and a service ace from Williamson to pull within 16-15.
The Orange regained control and pushed its advantage to 19-16, but Cornell continued to battle. The Big Red twice pulled within a point late, including at 22-21 after a Parsons kill.
Syracuse reached set point at 24-22 and closed the opening frame on the next point, taking a 1-0 lead.
Set 2 – Cornell 25, Syracuse 23
Cornell answered in the second set with an early 3-1 advantage and maintained a narrow lead through the opening stages.
Syracuse eventually pulled even at 10-10, and the teams continued trading points as the set tightened. The Orange took a 14-11 lead, but Cornell responded with three straight points to tie the score at 14-14.
The teams remained deadlocked at 20-20 before Cornell gained the first meaningful edge of the late stages. A Bogan kill made it 21-20, and a Parsons service ace extended the advantage to 23-21.
Syracuse tied the set at 23-23, but Parsons answered with a kill to give Cornell set point. Williamson then closed the frame with a kill off a Bogan attack, sending the match to the third set tied at 1-1.
Set 3 – Syracuse 26, Cornell 24
The third set was a back-and-forth battle that required extra points.
Syracuse opened with a 4-2 advantage and extended its lead to 6-3, but Cornell gradually worked its way back. The Big Red tied the set at 10-10 before the Orange again moved ahead.
Syracuse held a 15-12 lead before Cornell answered with a four-point run to take a 15-14 advantage. From there, the teams traded points throughout the remainder of the set.
Cornell held a 21-20 lead after a Bogan kill and pushed ahead 22-21, but Syracuse answered to tie the score at 23-23. Cornell then reached set point at 24-23 after a Syracuse service error, only for the Orange to respond.
The Big Red again had a chance to close at 24-23, but Syracuse tied the score and eventually took the final two points to win the set, 26-24, and move within one set of the match.
Set 4 – Cornell 25, Syracuse 16
Facing a 2-1 deficit, Cornell responded with its strongest set of the evening.
The Big Red jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind a Bogan kill and a pair of Syracuse errors. Cornell continued to build its advantage, moving ahead 8-3 before Syracuse trimmed the margin to 8-4.
Cornell never allowed the Orange to regain control. The Big Red pushed its lead to 14-7 and continued to add pressure, eventually taking an 18-10 advantage.
Syracuse managed a late push, but Cornell answered with four straight points to move ahead 23-12. The Orange scored four of the next five, but the Big Red closed the set with a kill from Avarie Adams to force a fifth set with a 25-16 victory.
Set 5 – Syracuse 15, Cornell 11
The deciding set again came down to the final points.
Cornell and Syracuse traded points through the opening stages, with the Orange holding a 5-3 advantage before Cornell pulled within 5-4 on a Parsons kill.
Syracuse built a 9-6 lead, but the Big Red answered with three straight points to make it 9-8. The Orange then pushed its advantage to 13-7 before Cornell mounted another late rally.
Kills from Parsons and Bogan helped Cornell cut the deficit to 13-9, and two consecutive Syracuse errors brought the Big Red within 14-11.
Syracuse, however, closed out the match on the next point, taking the fifth set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
Cornell finished the weekend 1-2 after opening the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Howard on Friday. The Big Red hit .159 against UAlbany and .193 against Syracuse while totaling 24 blocks and 14 aces across Saturday's two matches.
All-Tournament Honors:
Tournament MVP: Yuka Urano, Syracuse
All-Tournament Honors:
Charis Burge, Syracuse
Abby Nicholson, Syracuse
Ava Bogan, Cornell
Addison Buckner, Howard
Mina Benucci, UAlbany
Pinar Erol, UAlbany
Up Next
Cornell returns to action next weekend with more tournament play at the Binghamton Invitational.
