NEW YORK - The Columbia volleyball team returns to action, hosting Ivy League foes Dartmouth and Harvard. Friday's contest against the Big Green is slated for a 7 p.m. first serve; meanwhile, Saturday's contest against the Crimson will be at 6 p.m.

All fans planning to attend any of the matches will need to use the entrance to Levien Gymnasium located on 120th Street. 

INITIATIVES
The game on Saturday against Harvard will be Columbia's annual "Dig Pink" game, and the Lions will be 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.

For more information about the campaign and how to contribute, click here.

LAST TIME OUT
Columbia opened Ivy League play last Friday night, hosting Cornell. After a tough opening set, the Lions battled the Big Red but could not avoid the three-set sweep, falling to Cornell 20-25, 23-25, 24-26.

The Lions (2–9, 0–1 Ivy League) hit an efficient .348 in the opening set and stayed close throughout the night, pushing the Big Red (6–5, 1–0) to the brink in both the second and third frames. Columbia was particularly strong from the service line, tallying eight aces, but Cornell's timely offense and blocking in key moments made the difference.

SCOUTING DARTMOUTH 
Dartmouth enters Friday's match with a 3-8 overall record but has lost seven of its last eight. Last time out, they were swept by Harvard at home last Sunday. Away from home, they are 1-2 in true road contests and 2-7 overall. The Big Green have not been very efficient on the attack this season, hitting .146 as a team, which ranks last in the Ivy League. Dartmouth is led by senior outside hitter Kauany Gutz, who has 96 kills on the team, averaging 2.74 kills per set. 

SCOUTING HARVARD
Harvard is riding a two-match winning streak after defeating Harvard and Stonehill last weekend. Before that, they were mired in a seven-match losing streak. As a team, the Crimson are hitting .183, which is seventh in the Ivy League. Their opponents are hitting .210. Leading the squad are senior outside hitter Brynne Faltinsky and first-year outside hitter Sofia Rossi, who both have 90 kills each.

OPPONENT INFO

Rosters, Schedules, and Stats for all the opposing teams can be found below.
Dartmouth: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Harvard: Roster | Schedule | Stats

WHO IS HOT
Middle blocker Juliana Williamson made her return to the lineup against FDU on September 20. Her return to the lineup has been a blessing; in five sets, she is averaging 2.2 kills per set. Last time out, she played all three sets against Cornell and finished with seven kills on 13 swings for a .462 attack percentage. 

SERVING UP ACES
The Lions continue to be on the nation's top teams from the service line. Columbia is 34th in the country in aces per set, averaging 1.93. Their 85 total aces are the most in the Ivy League and 85th in the country. Columbia has had at least five aces in all but one match this season.

ON DECK
The Lions wrap up a season-long five-match homestand when Yale and Brown come to Levien Gymnasium next Friday and Saturday. The Lions take on the Bulldogs on Friday at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Columbia hosts the Brown Bears at 6 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

HOW TO FOLLOW
All Columbia home games and every Ivy League game will be streamed via ESPN+.

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 volleyball, follow @CULionsVB on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.