Columbia Visits Cornell In Ivy League Meeting

Saturday, October 23

Ithaca, N.Y.

2:00 p.m.

Columbia University

Cornell

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

10/22/2021 11:32:00 AM | Volleyball

Watch (ESPN+)Live Stats

Columbia Volleyball heads to Ithaca, N.Y. to face Cornell on Sat., Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.

ITHACA, N.Y. — Columbia Volleyball (5-12, 2-5 IVY) returns to Ivy League action with a visit to Newman Arena at Bartels Hall to take on the Cornell Big Red (5-10, 1-6 IVY) in a Saturday afternoon match set to get going on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.

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at Cornell – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Social Media (@culionsvb)

MIDWEEK RESULT: The Lions hosted the Rider Broncs in a midweek non-conference matchup on Wed., Oct. 20, where Columbia fell in four sets. In the match, the Lions were led on the attack by Logan Harlock, who smashed a career-high 19 kills on .348 hitting.

Shari Stenglein racked up a career-high 47 assists and with the addition of 13 digs finished with her fourth double-double of the season. Soah Franklin collected four total blocks to continue her strong 2021 presence at the net.

LAST CORNELL MEETING: Columbia and Cornell opened the Ivy League season with a meeting on Sept. 25 on Morningside. In the match the Lions dropped only one set on their way to a four-set 25-17, 25-19, 28-30, 25-22 win.

For the Lions, it was their first win over Cornell since 2017, snapping a four-match losing streak to their in-state Ivy League rivals.

Columbia was led by Emily Teehan's 20 kills coming from .333 hitting percentage, both match highs, and Harlock's efficient hitting, collecting 15 kills on .306 hitting. Columbia's offense was solid, but their defensive hitting percentage tells the story as they held Cornell to .181 hitting while offensively smashing at a clip of .248.

HOW SWEEP IT IS: The Lions had themselves a Saturday (Oct. 16) in Cambridge, and it showed in the straight set 25-18, 25-23, 28-26 victory over the Crimson. Columbia's straight set win was the second straight set win over Harvard in the last three meetings, and for the Lions It was their first straight set win of the 2021 season.

LIONS IN THE IVY LEAGUE: The strong starts by Noelle Foster and Cadence Gronski have placed them at or near the top in several categories. Foster's offensive numbers have been leading the Lions and, in the league, she sits first in kills per set (4.00), total kills (240) and points per set (4.36).

Gronski sits second in the league in assists per set (10.53) and fourth in total assists (453). Franklin sits ninth in blocks per set (0.95) while Vanessa Pan (3.78) sits fifth in digs per set. Isa Lamus has also cracked the Ivy League top 10, hitting .309 so far this season which places her 10th in the league, while Emily Teehan's 2.97 kills per set is good enough to place her ninth in the league.

CORNELL MATCHUP: In what will be the 57th meeting all-time, Columbia and Cornell meet for the second time this season. While the Lions took the last meeting (3-1; Sept. 25), snapping a four-match skid against Cornell, the Big Red still bring a 43-13 all-time advantage over the Lions.

Cornell comes into Saturday's meeting having lost three out of their last four, including being swept over the previous weekend, falling four sets to Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. Cornell's lone Ivy League win came on Oct. 9 with a sweep at home over Penn.

Kate Stration sits at the top of the league in aces per set and 33rd in the nation, with an average of 0.46. Casey Justus' .354 hitting percentage leads the Big Red, and its good enough to place her third in the league. As a team, the Big Red have the second-best digs per set average in the league, recording 16.06 digs per set.

VENUE POLICIES: Volleyball spectator attendance will be restricted to a limited pass list only due to University COVID protocols and in accordance with NYC Executive Order 225.

If you are Columbia fan, fully vaccinated and would like to attend a volleyball game this fall, please contact Assistant Volleyball Coach Julia Anderson at ja3445@columbia.edu to get on the Volleyball guest list. You must be on the guest list to be able to attend a volleyball game at Levien Gymnasium before the game you would like to attend. There is limited availability for each home contest.

FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Volleyball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsVB), Instagram (@culionsvb) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).