Columbia
Yale
Volleyball Drops Four-Setter at Yale
10/29/2016 8:08:00 PM | Volleyball
Box Score| Set Scores | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Columbia | 25 | 17 | 24 | 20 |
| Yale | 19 | 25 | 26 | 25 |
| Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Columbia | Yale |
| Attack Pct. | .090 | .193 |
| Kills/Errors | 41/28 | 50/22 |
| Aces/Errors | 5/7 | 4/13 |
| Digs | 56 | 64 |
| Blocks | 9 | 8 |
| Individual Leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Columbia | Yale |
| Kills | Chichi Ikwuazom (12) Zoe Jacobs (12) |
Brittani Steinberg (17) |
| Assists | Grace Campbell (33) | Franny Arnautou (42) |
| Digs | Cassie Wes (18) | Kate Swanson (16) |
| Blocks |
Chichi Ikwuazom (4) |
Kate Aitkenhead (5) |
NEW HAVEN, Conn.. — The Columbia volleyball team was unable to keep pace with Yale in the Ivy League standings, falling to the Bulldogs in four sets (25-19, 17-25, 24-26, 20-25) Saturday evening at Lee Amphitheater.
Columbia (11-9, 6-4 Ivy) came into the match with a chance to pull even with Yale (15-4, 8-2 Ivy) for second in the Ivy League. The Lions defeated the Bulldogs in five sets back on September 30 in New York, but could not duplicate their efforts, as Yale pulled two games ahead of Columbia in the standings.
The moment of the match came in the third set. After the two sides split the first two sets, Columbia took a 24-22 lead in the third and was one swing away from taking control of the contest. Yale saved both set points and went on to score the final four to win the set 26-24, deflating Columbia's hopes for its first win in New Haven since 2001.
The Lions were outhit .193 to .090 and outdueled in kills 50-41 by the Bulldogs. First-year Chichi Ikwuazom and senior Zoe Jacobs led Columbia with 12 kills apiece, while Brittani Steinberg headed the Yale offense with a match-high 17 kills.
On defense, Columbia completed the night with a 9-8 edge on the block. Ikwuazom and senior Kesi Neblett each posted a team-high four for the Lions. Yale's Kate Aitkenhead led all players with five. Senior Cassie Wes led the match in digs with 18.
The first set didn't start the way the Lions would have hoped, as Coach Katz used both of her timeouts with Columbia trailing 10-5. Yale helped the Lions hang around by committing five service errors, including one that brought Columbia within a pair at 14-12. That's when the momentum of the set completely flipped. Junior Anja Malesevic followed up Yale's serving error with an ace and the Lions scored six consecutive points to go up 17-14, their first lead since 1-0. Columbia won the set's longest rally to maintain its three-point cushion, 21-18, before Ikwuazom followed with a kill and a block on consecutive points to make it 23-18. The Lions earned set point at 24-18 and scored 14 of the final 19 points to win the first.
Yale came up with a response to win the second and level the match at a set apiece. After Columbia got an ace from Wes to take an early 5-2 lead, the Bulldogs responded with four straight to go on top 6-5. Yale never trailed again, taking advantage of three straight Columbia errors to build an 11-8 lead and using a 10-4 run later on to go up 22-14. A kill by Aitkenhead clinched the second for the Bulldogs.
The two sides played a tightly contested third set that came down to the wire. Three straight Columbia points, including a Wes ace, completed a 7-1 run to put the Lions up 14-11. Neblett kept Columbia in front by three, 17-14, with a well-timed slide play, but Yale was able to come up with a response. A 4-1 run put the Bulldogs on top, 22-21, but Columbia came back with the next two on kills by senior Zoe Jacobs out of a timeout to retake the lead, 23-22. The Lions then earned two set points up 24-22, but could not put it away. Yale scored the final four points, which included multiple set-saving digs in the 24-23 rally, claiming the set and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The deflating end to the third set carried over into the fourth, where Columbia went down 10-3 and burned both of its timeouts early on. The Lions crept back in and cut Yale's lead to as little as four, 24-20, but could not overcome the large deficit. Steinberg clinched the match with her 17th and final kill.
Columbia returns to Levien Gymnasium for the first time in nearly a month next weekend. The Lions welcome Dartmouth on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by the home finale on Saturday at 5 p.m., against Harvard. The careers of seniors Zoe Jacobs, Sarah Gurbach, Cassie Wes and Kesi Neblett will be honored on Senior Night on Saturday.
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