Roaring out to a 5-0 lead to start the match, Light Blue volleyball (6-4, 1-0 Ivy) dominated net play with blocking and a balanced offense to defeat Cornell 3-0.
A huge block by seniors Heather Braunagel and Megan Gaughn to start the game set the tone for the night. The Lions kept Cornell’s hitters quiet, forcing them to commit 22 attack errors. Freshman Katarina Jovicic made her presence felt on the right side with four block assists and a solo block.
“We’re a big team, and by blocking them, it allowed us to play to our strength and really shut down their hitters,” junior Savannah Fletcher said. “It helped our team come together in our rhythm.”
The Light Blue’s aggressive serving also helped keep Cornell out of system throughout the match.
“When we’re serving tough and making havoc and getting them out of system, it’s way easier to set up a block,” sophomore Molly Winger said. “We know which hitters get set and our defense is much easier.”
Despite losing the first set 25-19, Cornell remained poised and fought back. Big Red hitter Breanna Wong found a way through the Columbia block with two straight kills to help her team to an early lead.
But the Lions were able to tie the score at nine, and never looked back. Gaughn and junior Colleen Brennan had long-serving runs to close out the second set 25-15.
“I was pleased with the way we played well at some of the critical points when we were out of rhythm and out of system,” head coach Jon Wilson said. “We defended well. We hung in there and got back in the third set and in the second set to take the lead and win.”
The Light Blue swept the match with a third-set 25-22 win. The two teams were tied at 20-20, but three errors by Cornell and kills by Braunagel and Gaughn were enough to secure the win.
“To win in three is a great way to start the season,” Fletcher said. “It’s a good message to the rest of the league that we’re ready to play.”
The Lions hope to keep their four-home-game winning streak alive when they face Brown on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. followed by a match against Yale on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 5 p.m.