Last weekend, the women’s volleyball team made great strides.
Columbia’s triumph over Cornell gave the Light Blue its best program start since 2000, its first Ivy League win since 2006, and its first win against the Big Red since 2001. But on Saturday, Cornell (3-9, 0-1 Ivy) will have its chance to battle back and exact revenge as Columbia (9-4, 1-0) travels to Ithaca, N.Y. to face the Big Red in a rematch.
“We’re just very happy. We’re encouraged by what we see,” head coach Jon Wilson said. “We’re encouraged by the toughness they’re showing when they’re down and when they’re in really tough games. They’re able to find ways to win, to find ways to raise their level of performance when the pressure’s on.”
In second-year coach Wilson’s first Ivy League victory for Columbia, the Lions took the court by force, with a 3-0 sweep of the Big Red.
“Even though we won 3-0, the games were very close, so what we’re taking from that is that we have to go up there prepared to play a very tough match and ready for a big fight,” Wilson said. “We won, but there are no guarantees. We have to keep working hard.”
Cornell’s Deveney Pula led the Big Red effort against the Lions with 12 kills and 11 digs, while Lucy Zheng posted 22 assists and four kills on nine attacks.
Columbia’s Megan Gaughn, who was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the second time due to her performance over the weekend, led both teams with an impressive double-double, posting 20 kills with a .235 attack percentage and 12 digs, while fellow freshman Erin Longinotti posted nine kills of her own. Defensively the Lions were led by Ellie Thomas, who had 16 digs, and Sarah Thompson, who notched 10.
“Sarah Thompson did a real good job,” Wilson said. “She played her best defensive match of her career. She had 10 digs and she only plays in the back row a half a rotation, so that was very helpful.”
While Columbia walked away from its Tri-Match undefeated, Cornell split its competition with a close 3-2 win against Hartford. Pula led the Big Red in the contest, with 17 kills and only five errors on 40 attempts (.300 hitting percentage) in addition to 11 digs, while Juliana Rogers totaled 11 kills. Megan Mushovic headed up the Cornell defense with 22 digs in the matchup.
Columbia and Cornell will head to the court for their rematch on Saturday Oct. 3 at 2 p.m.
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