Columbia University
Yale
Lions Head Out To Yale And Brown
9/30/2021 12:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Columbia Volleyball hits the road for a weekend Ivy League trip to Yale (Oct. 1) and Brown (Oct. 2).
NEW YORK — After opening Ivy League play with an exciting four-set win at home, Columbia Volleyball (4-6, 1-0 IVY) hits the road to face Yale (7-3, 0-1 IVY) on Friday, Oct. 1 and Brown (8-3, 1-0 IVY) on Saturday, Oct. 2 in the first Ivy League doubleheader weekend of the 2021 season for the Lions.
HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
at Yale – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Social Media (@culionsvb)
at Brown – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Social Media (@culionsvb)
PARTY LIKE ITS 2017: Columbia opened up Ivy League play at Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium with an impressive four-set win over Cornell, giving the Lions their first win over Cornell and first Ivy League opening win since 2017. Columbia used 20 kills (.333 hitting percentage) from Emily Teehan and a career-high 15 kills (.306 hitting percentage) from Logan Harlock.
It was a rather controlled win for Columbia, holding the Big Red to .181 hitting while smashing at a rate of .248. Joining Teehan and Harlock was Cadence Gronski, who again had a great night setting the offense recording yet another double-double finishing with 49 assists and 10 digs.
GRONSKI'S TABLE MANNERS: The offense for Columbia has put up .339 and .248 hitting percentage numbers in two of the previous three matches and a big part of that efficiency has been Gronski and her Ivy League leading 385 assists. It's not just the total assists that been impressive for the Lion first-year setter, but it's the assists per set that have been an eye-popping number, sitting 27th in the nation, Gronski is averaging 10.69 assists per set.
LIONS IN THE IVY LEAGUE: The strong starts by Gronski and Foster have placed them at or near the top in several categories. Gronski's been a force setting the Columbia offense, as she sits first in the league in total assists (385) and second in assists per set (10.69).
Foster's offensive numbers have been leading the Lions and, in the league, she sits fourth in kills per set (3.58), total kills (129) and fifth in points per set (3.90). Soah Franklin sits seventh in blocks per set (0.90) while Vanessa Pan (3.97) sits sixth in digs per set and 10th in service aces per set (0.31). Isa Lamus has also cracked the Ivy League top 10, hitting .307 so far this season which places her ninth in the league.
YALE MATCHUP: Columbia and Yale will meet for the 54th time on Friday, with Yale holding a 48-5 advantage all-time. The Bulldogs also bring a seven-match winning streak into the game with Columbia, as the last time the Lions beat Yale was a five-set thriller in 2016. A win in New Haven would be Columbia's first in 20 years, with the last coming on Nov. 10, 2001 (3-1).
The Bulldogs dropped their conference opener to Cornell on Friday, Sept. 24, in a five-set battle that went the way of the Brown Bears. It was Yale's second-straight loss, having fallen in four sets to UConn on Sept. 18. Before those two losses, Yale had opened its season winning seven of the first eight matches (all non-conference) and they won six of those in a row.
As a team, Yale's aces per sets (1.83) ranks them first in the conference and 33rd in the nation, making them a tough squad to side out. The Bulldogs also play a strong defensive game, holding teams to a conference leading .164 hitting percentage, which also places them 49th in the nation.
Individually, Maile Somera leads the Bulldogs in digs per set (4.78) ranking second in the league and 43rd in the nation. Somera's 172 total digs places her third in the league.
BROWN MATCHUP: For the 57th time in history, Columbia and Brown will take to the volleyball court and face off to finish both team's weekends. Columbia last won in Providence, Rhode Island on Oct. 28, 2016, in straight sets, and despite Brown having won the previous three matches, Columbia's last win was not too long ago, coming in 2018.
Brown went to New Haven last Friday (Sept. 24) and knocked off Yale in five sets, to open its Ivy League campaign with a win. It was Brown's fourth straight win, having knocked off Central Connecticut State, Sacred Heart and Hartford over the weekend of Sept. 17-18 at the Hartford Invitational.
The Bears are the best hitting team in the Ivy League, hitting .248, which places them 53rd in the nation. They sit second in the league in blocks per set (2.23), total digs (602), total kills (533) and total team blocks (89.0). Individually, Zoe Ubamadu ranks first in the league in blocks per set (1.22) and Beau Vanderlann is second in the league in hitting percentage (.376).
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).
