PHILADELPHIA — Columbia showed resilience and poise through three tightly contested sets on Friday night at The Palestra, but Penn held off several late surges from the Lions to claim a 3–0 win (25–20, 25–22, 25–23) in Ivy League volleyball action.

The Lions (2–14, 0–6 Ivy) were led by Eva Atkins, who delivered nine kills and two solo blocks, while Charlotte Gravlee added six kills and three blocks. Lauren Farris chipped in four kills, three aces, and seven total points, and Ruby van der Heide and Clara Yu combined for 26 assists to pace the offense.

Penn (8-8, 2-5 Ivy) tallied 15 service errors on the evening, but was able to overcome the shaky serving thanks to a .305 attack percentage. Leading the Quakers was Zada Sanger, who had a match-high 13 kills. Jenna Garner added 11 in support. 

Penn opened strong behind early scoring fromSanger and Ellie Siskin, building a 9–1 advantage. Columbia responded with a 6–1 run, keyed by blocks from Gravlee, Evie Naumann, and Maria Happ, pulling within two at 10–8. Despite the push, Penn's balanced attack hit .250 in the frame to take the opener, 25–20.

Columbia found its rhythm in the second, as Atkins and Farris powered a mid-set run that gave the Lions a brief 19–17 lead. Farris served two aces in the stretch, and Gravlee added a timely kill to extend the momentum. But Penn closed on an 8–3 run, capitalizing on service errors and late kills from Sanger and Garner to edge Columbia, 25–22.

The Lions again pushed Penn deep into the third, rallying from down 18–14 to tie it at 21–all behind Atkins' late kills and strong setting from Yu. Maynulet and Gravlee added key blocks to keep the set tight, but the Quakers closed it out with back-to-back points from Adell Murray and Emery Moore.

Columbia finished the match with 27 kills, seven team blocks, and five service aces, while hitting .124 overall. The Lions' defense tallied 33 digs, led by Delaney Seaman's 10.
Columbia continues its Ivy League road swing Saturday at Princeton, with first serve set for 5 p.m.

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