CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – 2021 Second Team All-Ivy League recipient, Noelle Foster, posted a season-high 17 kills, powering Columbia volleyball (5-15, 2-9) to a 3-1 win over Harvard (5-14, 4-7) on Friday night.
 
Several Lions had strong performances on offense. Foster hit .325 on the night. Saj McBurrows had 13 kills. Eva Atkins posted a .455 attacking percentage on her way to seven kills. Aidan Conner also eclipsed a .400 attacking percentage, going for five kills. Conner was a force at the net as well, recording nine total blocks. McBurrows was right there with her, assiting on five blocks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions opened up an 11-6 advantage in the first set. From there, Harvard outscored Columbia 10-2, taking a 16-13 lead. A three-point spurt from Columbia evened the score at 16. Maria Milisa evened the set with a kill. The Lions faced another three-point deficit later in the set, but battled back to eventually retake the lead. Columbia went on to win 25-21.
 
Harvard built a nine-point margin in the second set, using that momentum on its way to a 25-16 victory.
 
Initially, it seemed as if the third set was on the same trajectory as the second set. Harvard led 7-1. It took a while for Columbia to rally back, but the Lions kept chipping away. Down 18-13, Columbia scored five consecutive points. Foster came up with a monster kill to even the match at 18. The set was tied again 21 before Columbia went on a 4-1 run to take the third set.
 
Columbia never trailed in the fourth set. The lead hovered between one and seven points. The Crimson eventually tied the set at 21, but the comeback effort was quickly eradicated with two points from the Lions. Columbia won 25-23.
 
Up next, the Lions travel to Dartmouth to battle the Big Green tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.