HANOVER, N.H. – Columbia volleyball (5-16, 2-10) took the first set in a battle with Dartmouth (16-6, 8-4) on Saturday night. The Big Green went on to win the match 3-1.
 
For the second consecutive night, Noelle Foster led the way in kills, this time going for 11. Kiara Robichaud was right behind her with 10. Ruby van der Heide and Cadence Gronski shared the assist duties, combining for 40. Defensively, it was Vanessa Pan with 13 digs. Aidan Conner had another big performance at the net, tallying double-digit blocks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Columbia used a 17-10 opening-set run to pull away from the Big Green. Juliana Williamson was a huge asset during the first set, putting up five kills. Six different Lions recorded a point in the set. Columbia won 25-18.
 
Dartmouth retaliated with an 8-4 run to begin the second set. Columbia then outscored the Big Green 6-1 to take a one-point edge. The Lions held the lead for quite some time, but a late run from Dartmouth flipped the momentum. Trailing 21-18, the Big Green fired off six straight points. Columbia closed a two-point hole and eventually found itself with a chance to win the set, leading 26-25. Dartmouth scored the final three points, winning 28-26.
 
The Big Green kept up the pressure in the third set, building a 14-4 lead. The margin hovered around double-digits for the rest of the set. Dartmouth won 25-13.
 
The fourth set began with four straight points from Dartmouth. Then, Columbia scored four straight points. Dartmouth then led 15-9 before Columbia narrowed the gap to two points following a 4-0 run. The Lions had a 5-0 run later in the set that gave them a 21-19 lead. The match was extremely tight when the score entered the 20-point range. Tied at 22, Dartmouth outscored Columbia 3-1.
 
Up next, the Lions are home on Friday, November 11, hosting Princeton at 7:00 p.m.