With the Ivy League volleyball season set to swing into full gear this weekend, the members of the Ancient Eight competed in tough tournaments last weekend in preparation. Harvard fell to Dartmouth but turned around to win their own Crimson Classic as the Big Green lost a pair on Saturday.
Cornell won the 2001 Wagner College Invitational last weekend by defeating Wagner College, Long Island, and Boston College. The Big Red won the first two matches 3-0 and then vanquished BC in the finals 3-1.
With the three-game sweep, the Big Red improved its record to 8-4 and earned its first in-season tournament title since last year's season-opening Stetson Invitational.
Senior Jaimee Reynolds was named MVP of the tournament. Senior Jennifer Borncamp and sophomore Debbie Quibell, who combined for 72 kills over the course of the weekend's play, joined Reynolds on the all-tournament team.
Penn extended its winning streak to five games with a win last weekend against Villanova. The Quakers (6-3) dominated the Wildcats in a 3-0 triumph, and were led by sophomore Elizabeth Kwak-Hefferan's 11 kills and 13 digs.
Yale fell in a non-conference battle against the Stags of Fairfield by the count of 3-1. The Bulldogs (5-3) were paced by Jana Freeman, who recorded 15 kills to go along with 17 digs.
Brown competed in the University of Connecticut Invitational over the weekend, and finished the tournament with a 1-2 record. The Bears (5-5) fell to Northeastern in four games and the host Huskies in three.
The Bears did manage to defeat St. Peter's College in a five-game match. Sophomore Diane Schneider tallied 25 kills and 16 digs in the win, and junior Jessie Cooper added 21 kills. Cooper earned a spot on the all-tournament team with her solid play throughout the weekend.
The Princeton Tigers went 2-2 at the ASICS Collegiate Volleyball Invitational last weekend. Princeton (6-4) defeated Pace and the College of Charleston while losing to Indiana and Juniata.
Columbia swept a tournament for the second consecutive weekend, by defeating Stony Brook, Hartford, and host team Central Connecticut State in three 3-0 victories. The Lions (6-3) now own a six-game winning streak heading into its conference schedule. Junior Kathy Lavold was named the MVP of the invitational.
All the Ivy squads will be in action this weekend as Princeton takes on Penn in Princeton tomorrow. Cornell and Columbia play matches head to head both tomorrow and Sunday. Brown and Yale are both a part of the Brown Invitational, and Harvard visits Hanover tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. to play Dartmouth.
