After An Upset Ivy Opening Victory, Volleyball Falls To Yale, 3-0, And Brown, 3-1, On The Road

Upper West Side NY

05 October, 2021

3:35 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY JORGE HERNANDEZ OCTOBER 3, 2021 Looking to build on the momentum that helped them claim victory over Cornell 3-1 in their conference opener, the Lions traveled to New Haven and Providence this weekend as they entered the heart of the Ivy League competition. The Light Blue (4-8, 1-2 Ivy) made its first stop in Connecticut on Oct. 1 to take on Yale. A favorable coin toss awarded Columbia the first serve. After a smashing serve from Columbia first-year setter Cadence Gronski, a kill from outside hitter Bonnie Bostic set the tone for the Bulldogs. With the Elis up to serve, the Lions immediately countered with a kill of their own from junior outside hitter Noelle Foster—who has been a consistent offensive powerhouse for the Light Blue—to tie up the set 1-1. At first the set appeared to be evenly matched, with both teams countering each other's plays and matching the other point-for-point. However, with Columbia holding a tight 16-15 lead, the Bulldogs pulled ahead 20-17 with a six-point serve. Taking advantage of these opportunities, Yale clinched the first set 25-19. The second set followed a similar arc as the first one: Both teams started neck and neck, but Columbia pulled ahead only to lose its steam as Yale capitalized on its lead. At the peak of their lead, the Lions held a 14-9 advantage. The Lions' fate shifted when Yale's Renee Shultz stepped up to the service line with the Bulldog's trailing 14-10. The Elis took control of the game, scoring nine straight points. A smashing kill finally stopped the bleeding by junior outside hitter Pierce Woodall to bring the score to 19-15. Yale's run was a blow to the Light Blue's confidence, as the Lions dropped the second set 25-19, mirroring the first set's score. The third and final set proved to be the most difficult for the Lions. From the beginning, the Bulldogs did not pull any punches. With the Lions serving first, a service error by senior outside hitter Emily Teehan immediately gave Yale the lead. The Bulldogs pounced on this mistake. Building on their advantage, they never gave the Lions a chance to recover. The Lions were assaulted by a myriad of kills from Yale's offense. The Bulldogs' lead grew to 21-9 as the Light Blue was never able to gain momentum. A smashing kill secured a victory for the Bulldogs. When the ball hit the ground, the score became 25-16, handing Yale the set and match victory. Following the difficult defeat, Columbia then traveled to Providence on Oct. 2 to play Brown in its third Ivy League game. Just as in the first set against Yale, Columbia was awarded the serve. After an initial back-and-forth that tied the score at 1-1, junior libero Vanessa Pan served for five straight points to give Columbia an early lead of 1-6. The Bears were quick to rebound and the two squads' gameplay intensified throughout the first set. The tightly contested first set saw a total of seven point ties and four lead changes. The peak of the tension between the two teams culminated when the score was tied 23-23. However, an attack error by the Light Blue gave Brown the serve, and the Bears finished the set off 25-23. With the loss of the first set fresh in their minds, the Lions were determined to take the second. Even the coaches were fired up—early in the set, Columbia's coaching staff received a yellow card for questioning a referee's call. Again, both teams went back-and-forth, almost going exactly kill for kill from the beginning of the game. Whenever one team scored, the other quickly retaliated. After a kill from Brown tied the score up at 16-16, a kill from sophomore middle blocker Soah Franklin gave the Lions the lead, which they would hold for the rest of the game. After well-timed kills from Teehan, the Light Blue's offensive leader, the final set-winning point came from an attack error from Brown to push the Lions to victory 25-21, tying up the match 1-1. The third set again proved to be the most challenging for Columbia. After an initial exchange of points, the set was tied 7-7. A point by Brown setter Cierra Jenkins gave the Bears a slight advantage. With the Bears now up to serve and the Lions trailing by a single point, the Light Blue attempted to tie up the score again. But it was not to be, as a series of attack errors on Columbia's end extended the Bears' lead to 12-7. With the deficit growing, Brown was able to claim the lead for the rest of the set. Another attack error by the Light Blue made the score 24-20, and the Bears handily scored the final point to take the third set 25-20. With the match now at 2-1, the Lions were desperate to make a comeback. Columbia took an early 5-1 lead, with strong offensive play from Foster and Teehan. However, Brown quickly came back, and as in the other sets, an intense back-and-forth ensued. The fourth set featured a total of 14 ties and five lead changes. Once again, the set came to a 23-23 tie. After a kill from Foster gave Columbia a narrow 24-23 lead, the Bears called a time out. When Foster then tried her hand at securing the set point, an untimely error evened the score 24-24, forcing the game to go to extra points. A Brown kill made the score 25-24 in favor of Brown. Though Columbia attempted to tie the game back up, another attack error caused the Light Blue to lose the set 26-24 and the match 3-1. The Lions are hoping to bounce back from their two losses next weekend. They will host Penn and Princeton on Oct. 8 and 9, respectively, at Schiller Court of the Levien Gymnasium. Deputy sports editor Jorge Hernandez can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @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.