On its final road trip of the season, Penn volleyball traveled to Cornell and Columbia to fight for a spot in the Ivy League tournament. The Quakers came up short against Cornell on Friday, but they bounced back at Columbia the next day to conclude the weekend 1-1. Despite the rebound, Penn was eliminated from tournament contention as Yale earned the final spot with a win at Dartmouth.
After Penn volleyball (11-11, 5-7 Ivy) completed a big upset over the Big Red (14-8, 9-3 Ivy) a month ago at the Palestra, Cornell came into the matchup hungry for revenge. An early six-point scoring run from the Bears put Penn behind – a deficit that the Quakers ultimately never overcame in the first set. Although Penn came within as little as three points halfway through the first set, the Cornell offense was hot and tough to stop.
Sophomore outside hitter Jenna Garner came up big against the Bears. In the first set alone, Garner kept the morale high for the Quakers, scoring four kills and five digs. Garner finished the night with 14 kills, 13 digs, three blocks, and two aces, posting her second consecutive double-double and sixth on the season.
The second set was competitive with multiple ties and lead changes. Across the set, neither team let the other gain more than a two-point advantage. Penn’s consistent offensive arsenal was on display throughout the second set, getting multiple players consistent production. Sophomore outside hitter Ellie Siskin posted three kills in this set, and junior outside hitter Zada Sanger posted two of her own. Cornell extended their lead to three points late in the third set, but Penn fought back and was even able to tie things up at 22-22. Unfortunately, Cornell ran away with it and claimed the second set 25-22.
Although down two sets to none, Penn volleyball was able to persevere in the third set, chipping away at a seven-point deficit to come back and win the set. Trailing by five points at 15-10, the Red and Blue forced a seven-point run of their own, gaining their first lead at 17-15.
Both teams exchanged points back and forth until at 23-22, back-to-back kills by Siskin shifted momentum in favor of the Quakers. Sophomore middle blocker Adell Murray closed out the set with a block to force a fourth set.
“We saw in both games that we started pretty slow … however, when a team grows comfortable with a lead they aren’t always ready to respond, which makes it easier to take initiative with your run and put the other team in a lot of trouble which builds a lot of momentum and is hard for the other team to break," Murray said.
Even with momentum on their side, the Red and Blue narrowly fell short in the fourth set 25-23.
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"I thought it was a really competitive match and it was a lot of fun to play in, and I'm really proud of our mental toughness to come back from huge deficits multiple times," sophomore setter Emery Moore wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
With no time to dwell on the tough loss, Penn faced Columbia the following day. The Quakers were quick to claim the first set, but they faced more adversity in the second set, where the Lions and Quakers passed the 25-point mark. A late Columbia timeout made it seem like the set would fall in favor of the Quakers. However, a tough service pressure from the Lions in tandem with a receiving error from the Quakers paved the way for the Lions to claim the second set.
“It was their senior night, and their fans were very loud. ... A lot of that sort of transfers to the game. We as a program do our best to not let things like that interfere with our game, but it sometimes impacts our energy," Murray said.
The trio of Murray, Garner, and Siskin shone for the Quakers against Columbia. Siskin posted 11 kills and eight digs for the Quakers. Murray posted 13 kills on 22 total attacks, having a stellar night in hitting .500. Garner also came up big for the Quakers on Saturday, posting 11 kills on 21 attacks and no hitting errors for an astounding .524 hitting percentage. Garner also had 10 digs, marking Saturday night's matchup as her third consecutive double-double and seventh of the season.
The Quakers were able to secure a win over the Lions, winning the next two sets 25-19 and 25-13. Elsewhere in the Ivy League that Saturday night, Yale claimed victory at Dartmouth to clinch the final spot in the Ivy tournament, eliminating Penn from postseason play.
Penn volleyball looks to finish out Ivy play on a high note. The Quakers will next face Dartmouth and Harvard next weekend at the Palestra for its final two games of the season.
