In a five-set thriller that lasted almost two hours, the Dartmouth women's volleyball team fell to Ivy rival Cornell at home on Saturday after posting a convincing victory over Columbia on Friday night.
With the win against the Lions (5-10, 0-6 Ivy), the Big Green (6-10, 2-4 Ivy) looked to secure its first doubleheader sweep of the season. Dartmouth's mid-season momentum, however, was broken by a surging Cornell squad (6-9, 5-1 Ivy) that remains second in the league following Saturday's match.
Coming off last week's split on the road against Ivy opponents, including a promising 3-1 win over Brown, the Big Green returned to Hanover for Homecoming action, hoping to use the momentum from its first Ivy win and the enthusiasm of the home crowd to bring good results.
Dartmouth opened Friday's match against Columbia with slow and cautious play, as the Lions jumped to an early 4-1 lead in the first set. The Big Green came back, however, as the team started to play more aggressively. After tying the game at nine, the Big Green took advantage of a number of Columbia errors rallied behind kills by Madeline Baird '12 and a block by Jess Thomas '09 to pull away. The Big Green would close out the first set 25-17 with a kill by Kendall Houston '12.
"It's evident that when we're playing quicker, we show more energy," head coach Ann Marie Larese said.
The second set saw quick shifts in momentum, as both teams held respective three-point leads. The Lions would run up the score by as much as seven at 21-14, before the Big Green countered with 6-1 surge to narrow the lead. After a Columbia time out, the Lions regrouped and took three of the next four points, taking the second set, 25-20, and evening the score at one set a piece.
"Overall, our energy was very low," Thomas said. "We weren't as focused.".
In the third set, the Big Green went ahead early before the Lions rallied to tie at eight. Remaining poised against Columbia's persistent offense, Dartmouth took a five-point lead, 19-14, that held for the rest of the set, as the Big Green finished strongly, 25-20.
The fourth set was all Dartmouth, as Morgan Covington '10 and Krista Merchat '12 shared a key block that put the Big Green up by four. Dartmouth never looked back, storming past the Lions, 25-14, to secure the victory and its second Ivy league win.
Despite the four-set victory, Larese stated that the team needs to improve upon its game-time alertness.
"We have to identify [changes in play]. Our defenders need to talk to each other, so they can work together as a unit," the coach said.
Baird, who led the team with 16 kills and 20 digs, cited team bonding as a key component of the team's performance.
"Being together off the court builds trust on the court," the freshman said.
In Saturday afternoon's match against Cornell, the Big Green hoped to steal a victory against the team that sits in first place of the Ivy League. Dartmouth came out strong early on with solid play in the first set. Dartmouth's consistency would pay off against a stagnant Cornell rotation. Kelsey Johnson '11 contributed a key block that secured the Big Green's opening momentum swing, as Dartmouth rushed to a 25-15 win.
The second set was less lopsided. A resurgent Big Red frontline began to overpower the Big Green middle attackers, as Cornell rallied from a four-point deficit to tie at 19. After a point-for-point battle to the finish, Dartmouth faltered late and the Big Red took the set, 26-24, on a service ace by freshman Risa Ka'awa.
"We needed to win the second game," Larese said. "Hindsight is 20-20, but we didn't want to get into a slugfest with [Cornell]."
With its rhythm snapped, the Big Green quickly fell off pace, as the energized Cornell squad took a commanding lead in the third set, 18-9. Larese called a time out, which allowed the shell-shocked Big Green to regroup, going on a 12-4 run that included five Columbia attack errors and three service aces from Thomas, bringing the score level at 22. Dartmouth, however, was unable to jump that final hurdle and take the lead. After the teams traded points to bring the score to 23-23, Cornell finished off the set with kills from freshman Kelly Hansen and sophomore Alessa Cekauskas.
Looking to carry the match into a fifth game, the Big Green began the fourth set with a sense of urgency. After opening a six-point lead at 18-12, Cornell countered with a 4-0 run that pulled the Big Red within two. Larese quickly called for a crucial time out.
"[We needed] to control the things we can control," Larese said. "First: pass the ball. Second: effectively shut their middle down."
With the match on the line, the Big Green reacted with increased intensity behind sharp kills from Johnson and Baird. Dartmouth would go on to finish the fourth set 25-18.
The fifth and final set began with fierce exchanges, as both teams registered huge first swing kills. The Big Green would lead by two at 6-4 before a 6-0 Cornell run gave the Big Red the breathing room it needed to take the set, 15-10, to clinch the match.
"We took a breath at the wrong time," Johnson said. "We tend to play to [our opponent's] level. Sometimes, you win ugly. We lost pretty today."
When asked about the tough defeat, co-captain Megan MacGregor '10 remained resolutely optimistic.
"We're just going to get tougher after [Saturday's match]. A loss will motivate us that much more," MacGregor said.
The Big Green is back on the road next weekend, facing University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 24 and Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 25 in another doubleheader match-up.
