NEW YORK -- The Columbia volleyball team hosted Penn on Saturday evening at Levien Gymnasium. The Quakers emerged victorious from an epic second set, and went on to defeat the Lions in three consecutive games (25-19, 34-32, 25-18).
The first set saw Columbia take its first lead at 4-3 behind a service ace from Anna Gioranidi. The Quakers quickly took back the lead and put together a series of runs that saw the Lions' deficit expand to eight points, and they could not flip the set back in their favor.
The Lions bounced back in the second set, striking first and building enough momentum to take a 10-5 lead. That lead quickly evaporated as Penn went on an 8-0 run that tied up the score at 14-14 and ended with a 19-14 Quaker lead. A block from Hailee Watts helped the Lions storm back with a 7-2 run, and a block from Harper Justema gave them their first lead since the score was 10-9. Columbia had an opportunity to seal the deal with the score at 24-22, but Penn tied it up at 24-24. Thus began an incredible run from both squads, including highlight plays on defense and offense, leading to the longest set of the year. It remained undecided for an extended time as both teams had multiple set points, but back-to-back kills from Penn's Adell Murray allowed the Quakers to walk away with a 34-32 victory.
Amanda Holsen and Watts continued to rack up the kills in the third set, which remained a close contest throughout. Neither team held a convincing lead until Penn went up 14-11. The Lions needed to mount a comeback to avoid an early exit from tonight's contest, but that comeback never materialized.
Holsen and Watts led the Lions in kills with 15 each. Holsen matched her career-high and surpassed her season-high with tonight's effort. First-year Clara Yu had seven digs and set a career-high with 35 assists.
Columbia will return home next weekend to host Cornell on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
INITIATIVES
Tonight's game was Columbia's annual "Dig Pink" game, and the Lions were raising funds for the Side Out Foundation. Funds raised will go towards a clinical trial specifically for patients with stage 4 breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease and the least funded area of research.
Click HERE or visit gocolumbialions.com/digpink to donate or to learn more about the Side Out Foundation.
For the latest on Columbia volleyball, follow @CULionsVB on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
