With the split, Dartmouth (5-9, 1-3 Ivy) is tied for sixth in the Ivy League standings with Brown University (9-7, 1-3 Ivy). Yale (10-3, 4-0 Ivy) holds the top spot in the conference after the weekend's action.
After falling to Harvard University in straight sets last Friday, the Big Green looked to reassert its presence in the Ivies, facing its league rivals with a full lineup for the first time in the season.
Morgan Covington '10, who dislocated her left thumb during the Dartmouth Invitational two weeks ago, came off the injury list after missing three games.
"We've just been waiting to click as a team," Amber Bryant '12 said. "Having [Morgan] back was really helpful. She's a big presence on the front row."
In Friday's game against the Bulldogs in New Haven, Conn., the Big Green opened the first set with consistency and momentum, unleashing three-straight points while surging to a 7-2 lead. Yale would eventually tie the game at 20 apiece, however, finish with a 5-1 run down the stretch to take the first set.
The second set saw much of the same from both teams, as the Big Green battled point-for-point until the Bulldogs took the advantage late, leading by as much as four points. Another solid finish from Yale would give the home team a 25-21 win and a two-set lead.
"[Yale] changed their hitting strategy," head coach Anne Marie Larese said. "We were slow in responding to tips over the blocks. We got a little tight, and we got mismatched at the front."
In the third set, the teams continued to engage in repeated rounds of heated rallies and exchanges. The Bulldogs would grab the first lead of the set at 10-9 and never looked back, winning the decisive final set, 25-18.
Despite the Big Green's third straight loss in the Ivies, Larese viewed Friday's match with personal optimism, citing the team's stronger communication skills and game-time composure in the loss to the Bulldogs.
"We put some good plays together against a very versatile team as our defense really kept us in the game," she said. "The kids had a lot of chemistry tonight and I felt for us to put together that many points against this team was good for us."
Especially notable was the Big Green's defensive prowess, with four players recording double-figures in digs, led by Bryant, who had 12. Dartmouth also out-blocked its opponent, 10-4, as Covington came off with three solo and three block assists.
"Our block was strong, which was new for us," Bryant said. "In general, the team defense was way more consistent."
In Saturday's match against Brown in Providence, R.I., the Big Green sought to translate Friday's loss into renewed confidence and energy. Though trailing 10-5 in the first set, the Big Green slowly regained its focus and tied the score at 14. Co-captain Megan MacGregor '09 led a second half charge with six points, as Dartmouth took the first set, 25-16.
"We needed to restart," Larese said. "We just needed a few [points] every time."
The second set was not a one-sided affair, as Brown kept the score close. The Big Green would lead by as much as six before the Bears started inching back. Dartmouth would eventually edge out Brown, however, to close out the set, 25-22.
The Bears took an early lead in the third, only to have the score tied at 15. This time, Brown managed to squeeze by the Big Green, raking in the set at 25-22 and cutting the set margin to one.
Dartmouth responded quickly, as the Big Green stormed to a 13-4 lead. Behind solid corner kills from Kelsey Johnson '11 and Madeline Baird '12, the Big Green proceeded to secure the final set, 25-19, and gain its first victory in league play.
"I think it was the best [game] I've seen from the team this season," Covington said.
Assistant coach Paul Arrington noted that the team's potential often rests on its collective confidence.
"Had we not played well, I think that would have had an effect on [the players'] confidence," he said. "It was nice to see the players play at a level that we know they can already play at."
Reflecting on how her players mentally respond to the pressures of league play, Larese explained that each person enforces her own expectations in her own way.
"I don't want the pressure to come from me," Larese said. "[The players] put pressure on themselves. They really respond to that."
The Big Green plays two home games next weekend against Ivy League foes Columbia University and Cornell University. Dartmouth faces the Lions at 5 p.m. on Friday in Leede Arena in Hanover.