Following its split against conference opponents Brown and Yale last week, the Columbia volleyball team (11-10, 2-6 Ivy) fell to Princeton and Penn in its first weekend of Ivy competition away from home.
The Tigers downed the Lions 3-1 on Friday, as Princeton (6-12, 4-3 Ivy) found its comfort zone as soon as it stepped onto the court to build a 14-5 lead in game one. Columbia began to close the gap with kills by Erin Longinotti, Sarah Thompson, and Megan Gaughn, but could not rally enough to avoid a 25-12 loss.
The Light Blue put up a stronger fight in game two, tying the score at four with a kill by Monique Roberts. The Lions continued to keep the win within reach until the Tigers widened their advantage to seven points, and sealing the set at 25-18.
Sets three and four were neck-and-neck battles for the Ivy rivals with Columbia taking the third and Princeton ending the match with a win in the fourth.
With the score set at nine apiece in set three, Thompson notched a kill with the help of freshman setter Kelsey Musselman. The Light Blue never relinquished its lead although the Tigers came within one point at 20-19. Gaughn, Musselman, and Roberts combined efforts at the end of the game to give Columbia its first victory, 25-19, and kept the Lions in the game.
With this momentum on their side the Lions fought valiantly in game four as well. The final set of the day saw six tied scores. Gaughn and Roberts put Columbia up at the start, combining for three kills. The Tigers did not give in, however, and tied the score at six before the Lions built an 11-7 lead. When it seemed the Light Blue had a large enough advantage to take the set, the Tigers staged a comeback, and with three straight kills took the 25-24 lead. A service ace sealed the win for the Tigers, 28-26.
Roberts had an impressive game in the loss, posting a career-high 17 kills and a .552 attack percentage. Gaughn also had a strong day for the Lions, picking up a double-double with 18 kills and 12 digs. Senior Ellie Thomas once again led the defense with 23 digs.
The Lions had another tough loss on Saturday as conference leader Penn (16-4, 7-0) swept Columbia, 3-0.
The Quakers started off the match with a service ace in game one before widening the gap to 11-6. Penn attack errors helped Columbia come within three of the Quakers, but even a kill by Allyson Werner at match point could not put off Penn’s eventual 25-16 victory.
Set two was the closest of the match as each team struggled with attack errors. Longinotti kept the Light Blue in the race, closing the gap with kills at 10-8 and 19-17. Unfortunately for the Lions, however, they were unable to outdo the Quakers and fell in a close second set, 25-22.
Game three was similar. This time, Thompson fought to keep the Lions in the game with back-to-back kills which put the Light Blue within striking distance at 22-16. Despite the late rally, Penn used three more kills to end the game and the match.
Thompson had five kills and a .500 attack percentage in the loss while Gaughn had a team-high seven kills. Thomas led defensively with 10 digs while Roberts notched five blocks.
The Lions continue Ivy action on the road next weekend with matches against Harvard and Dartmouth.
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