Penn volleyball faced a tough battle against Cornell, ultimately falling 3-1 in an intense match that showcased back-and-forth action from both teams.
The Quakers’ seniors — outside hitter Ella Green, middle blocker Kaya Johnson, and libero Kat Alexander — were honored before the match, making it an emotional evening at the Palestra. Their leadership and dedication have been essential to Penn’s season.
“Ella Green had an outstanding performance, which was awesome for her,” coach Meredith Schamun said. “I know her team was really excited for her, so to see her have that moment was great. I was really proud of her.”
Penn started strong, winning the first set 25-19. Johnson, playing in her final home match, set the tone with an early kill that sparked Penn’s momentum.
A key three-point run boosted Penn’s lead to 19-12, and they maintained control to secure the set. Freshman middle blocker Adell Murray and Johnson led the offensive charge with four kills each, while sophomore libero Elsa McDermott anchored the defense with seven digs.
“Adell Murray had a fantastic game,” Schamun said. “She's always pretty strong for us, but she worked her butt off in transition. I mean, she was up a lot. She got 10 kills. So, it gave us opportunities to set some other people, because she did her job really well.”
Cornell responded with renewed energy in the second set, racing to a 6-0 lead. Penn fought back, stringing together seven of the next eight points to tie the score at 7-7. However, Cornell fought back and closed out the set 25-14, leveling the match at 1-1.
The third set brought high intensity. Penn battled valiantly, with sophomore right-side hitter Bella Rittenberg and Green contributing four kills each, while Murray added three.
The Quakers found themselves at 21-21 before freshman setter Emery Moore delivered a back-handed kill, giving Penn a slight edge and three set points. Cornell, however, showed resilience, fending off each set point and scoring five consecutive points to take a 26-24 win.
In the fourth set, momentum swung back and forth. Penn surged ahead 6-2, only for Cornell to respond with a 6-0 run to tie the set at 6-6. The Quakers regrouped and pushed forward with a five-point streak to take an 11-6 lead. Yet, Cornell answered once more with a six-point run that propelled the Big Red to a 12-11 advantage.
The two teams then went back and forth, tied from 12-12 to 16-16. Penn staved off defeat momentarily with a kill from Rittenberg and an ace by freshman right-side hitter Jenniya Lane, but a final kill from Cornell’s Mackenzie Parsons sealed the set 25-18, giving Cornell the victory.
The loss drops Penn to 11-10 overall and 5-7 in Ivy League play, leaving the team one game out of an Ivy League tournament spot.
“I think the parts of the game that we lost on today are in our control, which makes me hopeful for next weekend that we can turn those things around,” Schamun said. “We'll continue to work on our serving to make sure we keep that tough offensively, because I think that's going to be a really big piece of our game next weekend.”
Penn will face Harvard on Friday at 7 p.m. and Dartmouth on Saturday at 4 p.m., as the team pushes to secure a spot in the Ivy League tournament.
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