Started hot, but quickly cooling off.
Coming off of an intense five-set victory against Harvard, Penn volleyball looked to carry the same momentum into the matchup at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. Impressive performances by freshman outside hitter Ellie Siskin, sophomore outside hitter Zada Sanger, sophomore right-side hitter Bella Rittenberg, and freshman setter Emery Moore were highlights of the Red and Blue's night despite the Quakers ultimately falling 3-1.
Although trailing most of set one, Penn (10-7, 4-4 Ivy) started the match off on a very high note earning the first point of the set off a kill from Rittenberg, and scoring vicious back-to-back kills from Siskin. However, Cornell’s (10-6, 4-3) outside hitters were too hot for the Quakers to handle. Cornell outside hitter/right side Eliza Konvicka achieved a total of 23 kills against Penn, with four of those coming in set one alone. Hitting errors, poor defense, and some questionable referee calls in favor of Cornell made winning set one challenging for the Quakers.
Bouncing back from a tough first set loss, the Quakers looked to regain composure and fight back in set two. Clutch kills from both Siskin and freshman middle blocker Adell Murray truly set the tone for the level of competition in set two and helped get the Quakers in rhythm. One significant adjustment that the Quakers made from sets one to two was blocking. Murray’s presence at the middle position was undeniable — she was able to tally four solo blocks along with seven kills against the Big Red. Although the match was tied up 23-23 late in set three, Siskin played stellar defense in the backcourt, paving the way for teammate Sanger to close out the match with an impressive kill.
Looking to continue competing, the Quakers rolled into set three. Throughout most of the set, Cornell found themselves in the lead. However, Penn was consistently able to keep Cornell from gaining ahead by any more than two points. An impressive defensive performance from Penn junior libero Abigail Reid helped to keep the Quakers in close rallies, and allowed hitters like Sanger to take care of business in the front row. Sanger finished the night with 12 kills, helping keep the Quakers in close competition with the Big Red throughout the match. Although tying the score up 20-20 late, the Quakers ultimately fell to Cornell in set three 27-25.
Penn continued to fight until the end. Leading early in set four by as much as six points, Penn’s momentum was tough to be stopped. What was ultimately the demise of Penn was the inexperience that comes with playing a predominantly young lineup. Being older and more experienced allowed the Big Red to retain composure during high-pressure scenarios. Cornell’s chemistry made defending against hitters like Mackenzie Parsons and Konvicka very challenging on the Penn defense, and was how Cornell chipped away at Penn’s lead and came back to win the match.
Penn volleyball will take the court again on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. for a matchup at Brown.
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