In its final match of the regular season, the Dartmouth women's volleyball team fought off a persistent Columbia squad on Saturday after falling in four games to Cornell on Friday night.
With the split, the Big Green (9-16, 4-10 Ivy) concluded its campaign tied for sixth place in the league with Brown. Columbia (6-19, 0-14) remained winless in the Ivies, while Cornell (10-15, 9-5 Ivy) capped off a doubleheader sweep after the weekend action, closing out its season in fourth place.
After dropping a five-game thriller to the University of Pennsylvania at home last weekend, the Big Green sought to finish on the road with two big victories that would help set a positive tone for next season.
During Saturday's match against Cornell, Dartmouth came out strong in the first game, building up a seven-point lead at 22-15 before the Big Red mounted a 5-0 run that tightened the gap. The Big Green, however, regained its initial composure, edging out the opponent to take the first game 25-23.
The second game saw more balanced play from the Big Red, as Dartmouth was unable to run up the score to take the early advantage. Limiting the Big Green's first-game momentum swing, Cornell rallied behind its home crowd of more than 1,400, capturing the game 25-22 to tie the match at one game a piece.
"It was just a rough match," Morgan Covington '10 said. "We took a breath. We relaxed a little bit."
Cornell gradually found its comfort zone and ways to get at the Big Green early in the third game, recording a solid .343 hitting percentage, while limiting the Big Green to a subpar .094. Big Red senior Kathryn Woodbury and sophomore Erin McCarthy each had four kills en route to a 25-19 third-game win.
Cornell continued its dominance in the fourth game, jumping to an early lead that held for the rest of the game. With consistent first-swing kills and strong frontline blocks, the Big Red did not falter down the stretch, closing out the decisive final game, 25-17.
Captain Megan MacGregor '10 and Madeline Baird '12 both recorded double-doubles of kills and digs. Jess Thomas '09 led the Big Green with 14 kills, while Amber Bryant '12 had a team-high 22 digs.
On Saturday's match in New York City, the Big Green looked to finish its road trip with a season sweep of Columbia.
In similar fashion to Friday's match, Dartmouth stormed to a formidable lead in the first game. Adding pressure to the Lions' struggling offense, the Big Green would never look back, rushing to a quick 25-13 victory.
Riding high off its huge energy swing in the opening game, the Big Green would carry its momentum with uninterrupted pace, building a five-point lead at 10-5. Columbia, however, would regroup, rallying behind kills from Lions sophomore Colleen McNutt to cut the deficit to two. The Big Green, despite several attack errors down the stretch, responded with redoubled poise, holding on to win a tight second game, 25-22.
The third game saw momentum shifts from both teams. Trailing by two games, the Lions finally broke out from their stagnant offensive rhythm, running up an impressive 9-0 scoring streak that took the Big Green by surprise.
The Lions would take a seven-point advantage at 19-12 but fought hard down the stretch to keep their lead intact, as Dartmouth slowly began to chip away at the deficit. After the Big Green fended off four game points, a McNutt kill finally sealed the deal for Columbia, as the Lions took the third game, 25-20.
Bruised but not beaten, the Big Green battled back. After halting the Lions' brief opening charge, Dartmouth rebounded with increased intensity from its outside and middle attack. Overpowering an inconsistent Lions defense, the Big Green managed to keep the game close.
The Lions led by two at 19-17 late in the period before faltering down the stretch, as the Big Green rallied with a six-point surge that kept the Columbia offense at bay. Dartmouth would eventually capture the decisive fourth game behind two sharp kills from Baird, who led the team with 19.
"I think [Columbia] came out really strong. It was a hard Saturday match, but I'm happy with the results," Covington said.
Thomas, who played the final match of her career, recorded 10 kills, six digs, five blocks and two service aces.
When asked for his overall assessment of the season, assistant coach Paul Arrington highlighted both the team's initial inconsistencies and its eventual progress.
"I think we lost a couple of matches early in the season that we should not have lost, particularly due to injuries," Arrington said. "But it was a successful season. The team improved physically, emotionally, mentally."
MacGregor had a similar take on the season.
"I felt like this year is a learning and building year," MacGregor said. "[The standings] reflect how the team has played this year, but it does not reflect our potential."
On Saturday afternoon, Yale won its first Ivy League crown since 2004 with a victory over Princeton, which finished second in the league.
