NEW YORK – 27 powerful kills from senior Chichi Ikwuazom, and 12 kills from first-year Pierce Woodall, was more than enough for Columbia Volleyball (11-8, 4-5 IVY) to snap a three-match losing streak by taking down the Penn Quakers (9-9, 2-7 IVY) in four sets, 3-1,  on Friday night at an electric Levien Gym.
 
Ikwuazom was a force all night as she recorded at least 20 kills in a match for the 13th time this season and the first time since racking up 21 kills at Brown on Oct. 19.  As for Woodall she was on fire as well, and her 12 kills are a career-high and only the second time in her short career that she has hit at least 10 kills.
 
As a team, the Lions were diving all around the court, racking up 39 digs and 56 assists as well as hitting .339 in the match.  Columbia also had 62 kills and 10 team blocks in a solid all-around performance.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The first set, which was a battle from start to finish, set the tone for Columbia, despite dropping the set, the Lions found their groove in the action with Ikwuazom leading the way with eight kills to open the match.  Neither Columbia or Penn would give an inch through the set, with the score tying up 16 times in the first set alone, and it really came down to the final few points, that Penn would come away with after the score was tied up for the final time at 25-25.  Penn worked the final two points of the set to take the set, 27-25, and a short lived 1-0 lead in the match.
 
In the second set, Columbia got a balanced effort from Ikwuazom and junior Kaitlin Schultz, who each collected five kills each during the set as the Lions bounced right back from their first set defeat.  But midway through the set, the Lions found themselves in a slight hole as Penn held a 13-10 lead as things turned toward the second half of the set.
 
Columbia, not wanting to fall behind by two sets, found it within themselves to dig for the win and they would draw even with Penn several times, and with the score sitting at 20-20, Schultz took things over, racking up three kills after the 20-20 mark, and her kill and block assist were how the Lions scored the final two points of the set to take the second set, 25-23, and tie things up at one set apiece.
 
Ikwuazom got back to her powerful ways, racking up seven kills on a scorching .778 hitting percentage for the set, and she was key to Columbia taking control of the match.  But early, the Lions built their lead thanks to first-year Chloe Rutledge holding serve for five straight points, that included an ace and a pair of Ikwuazom blocks, and right out of the gate the Lions took a 6-3 lead on Penn.
 
The Quakers could never work their way back into the set as from the start the Lions were off and running, but the Lions did have to hold off a slight charge from Penn, with the score at 17-11 the Quakers took a timeout and would score five points over the next seven contested, forcing head coach Allison Keeley to take a timeout to calm the Lions down.  It worked, as Columbia then took back control of things and a kill from Ikwuazom to make it 24-21 was followed up by a service ace from senior Kalie Wood to lock down the 25-21 third set win and put the Lions up 2-1 in the match.
 
The fourth set played almost as a carbon copy of the third set, with Ikwuazom again tearing up seven kills on .778 hitting percentage, as Columbia again took control from the start and never gave it back.  The Lions jumped on the Quakers from the start, taking an 11-4 lead thanks to another stretch of serving from a Columbia first-year, this time it was Kiara Robichaud as she held serve for six straight points, and she was helped by three straight kills from Ikwuazom to get the stretch started.
 
Penn did get as close as 12-11 midway through the action, but without the need of a timeout the Lions found the energy to hold the Quakers off, quickly pushing their lead back to a comfortable spot, and with junior Audrey Cheng serving, the Lions pushed their lead to 22-16 following a Cheng ace.  From there the Lions would only allow four more points by the Quakers as, fittingly, an Ikwuazom kill wrapped up the action as the Lions took the fourth set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
 
GAME NOTES: Ikwuazom's 27 kills are the most in a game for the Lion senior since she racked up 28 kills at LIU on Sept. 21 ... Ikwuazom's .743 hitting percentage is a career-high ... Woodall's 21 kills is a career-high ... Cheng finished with 48 assists and 11 digs for her 11th double-double of the season ... Columbia's team hitting percentage of .339 was the second-best of the season ... The Lions recorded 10 blocks, giving them six matches this season with at least 10 blocks.
 
UP NEXT: The Lions wrap up the weekend with a visit from Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 2 with that match starting at Levien Gym at 5 p.m.
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Volleyball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CUVB), Instagram (@columbiawvball) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).