Columbia's Comeback Attempt Falls Short On Senior Night

Saturday, November 6

New York, N.Y.

5:00 p.m.

Columbia University

5-17,2-10Ivy League

Dartmouth

14-7,6-6Ivy League

Dartmouth

Columbia

Photo by: Columbia Athletics/Daniel Addison

Columbia's Comeback Attempt Falls Short On Senior Night

11/6/2021 8:13:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Columbia Volleyball fell in four sets to Dartmouth, despite battling back from two sets down on Senior Night on Saturday night.

NEW YORK — In the final night at home for Columbia Volleyball's (5-17, 2-10 IVY) three seniors, the Lions fell just short of a comeback attempt, falling to Dartmouth (14-7, 6-6 IVY) in four sets to wrap up the 2021 home slate of matches on Schiller Court at Levien Gym.

Ahead of the match Columbia honored Isa Lamus, Shari Stenglein and Emily Teehan as part of the Senior Day ceremonies. Teehan finished the day with 14 kills on .333 hitting, while Stenglein led the Lions in both assists (43) and digs (22). Lamus added nine kills to give Columbia's three seniors a productive final night on Morningside.

Noelle Foster led the Lions with 17 kills, tying the match-high, and Vanessa Pan collected four service aces as the Lions out aced the Big Green four-to-one. But Dartmouth was able to hit .227 and in the fourth set the hit a match-high .278 to stop Columbia's attempt at a comeback and end the match in four.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Dartmouth opened the match by taking the first two sets and putting the Lions in a two-set hole. In the first set, the Big Green jumped out to an early lead and Columbia could never get closer than five points during the opening set as Dartmouth won 25-17.

Columbia did make it a battle in the second set, and it set the tone for the next two, as they bounced back from being down 15-10 midway through to get within four points down the stretch. Kills from Foster and Teehan while the Lions were facing set point allowed Columbia to keep the fight going for three points, but a kill from Piper Stevens gave Dartmouth a 25-20 second set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Lions smashed at .250 in the third set, the best of the match for Columbia, and four kills on .667 hitting by Lamus was the foundation for Columbia's solid hitting in the set. Things were a bit back-and-forth over the first 20 points decided, but the Lions began to pull away as the points crossed into double digits.

Dartmouth creeped back into at 20-18, but a timeout by head coach Allison Keeley was exactly what the Lions needed as they got kills from Soah Franklin and Foster to extend to lead to 22-19. Following a Dartmouth timeout, the Lions continued their way to a third set victory, as a pair of kills from Teehan for points 24 and 25 gave the Lions a 25-21 third set win and it extended the match to a fourth set.

The fourth set doubled as the deciding and longest set of the match, as down the stretch neither side wanted to give way to the other. Foster had her best set-in terms of kills, leading the Lions with six on .235 hitting and she kept Columbia rolling through the set.

Dartmouth seemed to have control of the action late, but at 20-18 the Lions got kills from Franklin and a pair of kills from Foster and following a timeout by Dartmouth, Pan delivered an ace and a block from Foster and Lamus knotted up the score at 22-22 and forced another Dartmouth timeout.

At that point, Columbia again had their backs against the wall, facing four match points and answering each time. But a pair of Dartmouth kills and a Columbia blocking error were the final two points that the Big Green needed to wrap up the match with a 28-26 fourth set win and a 3-1 overall win.

GAME NOTES: Stenglein recorded her fifth double-double of the season … Stenglein's 22 digs ties a career-high … Pierce Woodall finished with 11 kills, the most she's had in an Ivy League match this season … Pan's four aces ties her career-high.

VENUE POLICIES: Fans must enter from the street level at the doors located at the southeast corner of 120th & Broadway. Fan capacity at Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium is limited to 70 percent of the venue's listed capacity per University Task Force protocols. All fans 12 and older must show proof of vaccination upon entry. All fans are required to wear a mask at all times. All fans must also fill out a COVID-19 protocol attestation.

Admission to the game is free. Fans arriving to Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium are required to adhere to Columbia Athletics' and Columbia University's venue protocols. Please find Columbia's venue policies here.

NEXT UP: The Lions wrap up the 2021 season with one final weekend as they head to Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 12 before finishing the season at Penn on Saturday, Nov. 13. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be provided by the respective athletic departments.

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).