NEW YORK - The Columbia volleyball team is back in action this weekend, hosting two Ivy League matchups against Harvard and Dartmouth in Levien Gymnasium. The Lions will square off against the Crimson on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before taking on the Big Green on Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Columbia opened up Ivy League play last weekend with a matchup against Cornell at Levien on Saturday evening. The Big Red came away with a 3-1 victory in the match, holding off the Lions in a tightly contested contest.
Both Logan Harlock and Juliana Williamson made their 2023 debuts in the match, and did not disappoint. Harlock led Columbia with 10 kills, and added six digs, a block and an ace. In her return from injury, Williamson notched six kills and three total blocks.
After Cornell took the first set, the Lions came out swinging in set two. Cornell and Columbia quite literally traded points early on, as the score was tied 15 different times up until the score was all knotted up at 17-17. From there, Harlock and Anna Gioranidi smacked back-to-back kills to put the Lions in front by two points. The Big Red fought back, but another kill from Harlock and a combined block from Williamson and Atkins helped Columbia fend off the run. A kill from Williamson would secure a 25-21 for the Lions to even up the match at one set apiece.
The final two sets were tightly contested, and each had multiple lead changes, but the Big Red would find a way both times to fight off Columbia and secure the victory. A kill from Nicole Mallus late in the fourth set gave her a new career-high of 17, and put the finishing touches on the match for Cornell.
Atkins chipped in 10 kills for the Lions, while Gioranidi added eight kills. Ruby van der Heide added 20 assists, while Cadence Gronski collected 16 assists. Soah Franklin tallied five kills, five digs, and four total blocks.
SCOUTING HARVARD
Harvard enters the weekend with an 8-2 overall record. The Crimson took down Dartmouth in four sets in their first Ivy League contest of the season last weekend.
Last season, Harvard finished 5-17 overall with a 4-10 mark in conference play which was good for sixth place in the Ivy League.
In the 2023 Ivy League Preseason Poll, the Crimson were picked to finish in fifth place, just two slots ahead of Columbia.
Katie Vorhies has had an impressive start to the season for Harvard, collecting a team-high 105 kills with 12 total blocks so far in 2023. Ashley Wang leads the Crimson in assists with 199 on the year. Lindsey Zhang has a team-high 126 digs.
SCOUTING DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth enters the weekend with a 3-7 overall record. The Big Green are 0-1 so far in Ivy League play, losing to Harvard in four sets last weekend in Hanover.
Last season, Dartmouth finished 16-9 overall, with an 8-6 mark in Ivy League play which was good for fourth place and a birth in the Ivy League Tournament where the Big Green lost in the first round.
In the 2023 Ivy League Preseason Poll, Dartmouth was picked to finish in fourth place once again, three spots ahead of Columbia.
The Big Green's last game came against New Hampshire on Saturday, September 23. Dartmouth lost the contest in four sets, despite a career-night from Kauany Gutz.
Gutz leads the Big Green with 66 kills on the season, while Natalie Grover and Amelia Gibbs each have 60 kills. Mackenzie Arent is Dartmouth's primary setter, collecting 195 assists so far this year. Emma Engstrom leads the team with 97 digs.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Harvard leads the all-time series against Columbia 46-22. The Lions and Crimson split two contests in 2022, with Columbia winning 3-1 on the road in November after losing 3-1 at home in October.
The Big Green also have the edge in the all-time series against the Lions, leading 31-19. Dartmouth has won the last five contests, including both in 2022, with Columbia's last victory coming in New York City in October of 2019.
ON THE HORIZON
Next Friday's match against Brown will be "Dig Pink" and the Lions will be playing in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. To learn more about Dig Pink and the Side Out Foundation, please click HERE.
Columbia Volleyball kicks off Mental Health Awareness Week this Saturday, and next Saturday's match against Yale to conclude the week will be known as a "Mental Health Awareness" match, where the Lions will be supporting mental health organizations.
Columbia Giving Day is set for October 25. To donate, click HERE.
ON DECK
As mentioned above, Columbia continues its Ivy League homestand next weekend with a match against Brown on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and a match against Yale on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Both games will be in support of some great organizations, so come out and support them and the Lions at Levien Gymnasium.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All Columbia home games, and every Ivy League game, will be streamed via ESPN+. You can find Friday's game against Harvard HERE and Saturday's game against Dartmouth HERE.
Live stats will be available via gocolumbialions.com, HERE.
In-game updates will be provided on both Twitter and Instagram.
For the latest on Columbia lacrosse, follow @CULionsVB on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
