NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Columbia volleyball team closed out its month long road trip on Saturday evening with a trip to Connecticut to take on Yale.

The reigning Ivy League Champion and preseason-favorite Bulldogs entered the contest undefeated in conference play with a 4-0 record, but the Lions would not be intimidated. Yale emerged victorious, 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22), after four hard-fought sets.

After a rough first set that was taken by Yale, Columbia bounced back in a back way in the second set. Juliana Williamson and Avery Jones got things started in a big way with a monster block on the first rally, igniting the Lions' offense. A kill from Williamson would highlight a 6-2 Columbia run, giving the Lions a 15-10 lead. Back-to-back kills from Harper Justema and Hailee Watts helped extend the lead to six, and that would be the final lead as Columbia tied the game up with a 25-19 win in the second set. 

The third and fourth sets were very evenly matched, but ultimately Yale's experience helped them pull away late in both sets. Columbia was within two points of forcing a deciding fifth set after a late rally in the fourth, but the Bulldogs held on to win 25-22 and secure the victory. 

Ruby van der Heide had a career-night, double-doubling with a career-high 39 assists and 10 digs to go with four service aces. Eva Atkins and Watts each tallied 10 kills. Delaney Seaman had a team-high 18 digs. 

Columbia will return home next weekend to host Princeton on Friday and Penn on Saturday.