Lions Win One Match And Drop Two Final In Pre-Conference Tournament

Upper West Side NY

20 September, 2021

1:07 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY JORGE HERNANDEZ SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 Going into its last pre-conference tournament with a record of 2-4, the Columbia volleyball team faced off against three teams in the Maryland Challenge. Its main objective? To continue to improve its gameplay before the Ivy League competition resumes next week. Despite two challenging pre-conference weekends, head coach Allison Keeley said she was optimistic about the team's prospects within the Ivy League. "The past two weekends of tournaments have been a tremendous opportunity to play together and grow as a team," Keeley said. "The competitive level gave us confidence in our abilities and a sense of what we need to work on as we train and prepare for upcoming Ivy League play." In its first matchup of the tournament, the Light Blue faced off against Stony Brook University. Throughout the first game of the match, the Lions kept within striking distance of the Seawolves, as the score was tied at 13 points within the set. However, after the team pushed the game to extra points, an untimely service error caused Columbia to lose the set 27-25. The Light Blue continued to struggle against Stony Brook in the second set, ultimately dropping it 25-19 even after evening the score early on in the game at 10-10. With the Seawolves one game away from victory, the Lions won the third set 25-17 with the aid of junior libero Mckenzy Metter, who scored the last point by smashing an ace at the service line. Unfortunately, the Light Blue was unable to continue its momentum and lost the match upon dropping the final set 25-21. The following day, Columbia played against the University of Akron Zips. After dropping the first set of the match 25-22, the Lions came back with vigor, jumping to a 10-3 lead in the second set, which they ultimately took 25-17. This triumphant return occurred thanks to an impeccable defense and the offensive power of junior outside hitter Noelle Foster, who made five kills in the set. The Light Blue carried its offensive strength into the final two sets, where a breakout performance from sophomore outside hitter Logan Harlock secured 25-15 and 25-19 victories. In the final match of the tournament, the Lions played undefeated tournament host University of Maryland. Though the Lions lost 25-21, 25-18, and 25-22 to Maryland, the Light Blue was the only team of the weekend to score more than 20 points against the Terrapins overall. Moreover, the Lions' defense, piloted by senior setter Shari Stenglein, who led the team with 15 digs, kept Maryland to its second-lowest hitting percentage of the season, at 0.216. This tournament marked the end of Columbia's pre-conference schedule. On Sept. 25, Columbia will host its first Ivy League conference game against Cornell at Schiller Court in the Levien Gymnasium. Deputy Sports Editor Jorge Hernandez can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @jhernandez2001. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.