Volleyball Falls to Bulldogs In Four

Saturday, November 15

New Haven, Conn.

6:00 PM

Columbia University

2-22,0-14Ivy League

Yale

14-8,10-4Ivy League

Columbia

Yale

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.

11/15/2025 8:38:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Columbia’s seniors put on an impressive show in the final match of their careers

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Columbia opened fast and pushed Yale deep into multiple tight sets, but the Lions couldn't sustain the early momentum in a 3–1 road loss (25–22, 25–27, 13–25, 19–25) Saturday night at the John J. Lee Amphitheatre. The Lions' senior class went out with impressive performances in their final collegiate contest.

Columbia (2-21, 0-13 Ivy) was paced by Eva Atkins, who delivered 13 kills, two blocks and 14.0 points, while Elena Maynulet added 11 kills, seven digs and a team-best 3 service aces. Juliana Williamson was strong in the middle with 9 kills, 5 blocks, and 14.0 points. Setters Ruby van der Heide (22 assists, 2 aces) and Clara Yu (13 assists, 8 digs, 1 ace) steered a 4–2 offense that produced 46 total kills, while libero Presley Liberty anchored the floor defense with a career-high 16 digs.

Yale (14-8, 10-4 Ivy) countered with Ava Poinsett's 14 kills, 4 aces and 18.5 points. Cam Bolane added 12 kills and 7 blocks, and Laurece Abraham had 12 kills while hitting .417. Setter Halle Sherlock guided the Bulldogs with 43 assists, directing a Yale attack that hit .284 and tallied 58 kills with 10 aces and 11 total blocks.

Columbia opened with a sharp offensive rhythm, jumping ahead on early kills from Atkins and Williamson. The Lions overcame an early 9–3 deficit after a run of Yale aces, responding with a 12–4 surge that featured blocks from Vorhies and Maynulet and a series of Yale attack errors forced by Columbia's disciplined block touch. The set featured seven ties, the last at 21–21, before Maynulet, Atkins, and Williamson closed it out with three kills in the final four points to give CU a 1–0 lead.

One of Columbia's most complete sets of the season saw the Lions record five service aces—two from Maynulet and one each from van der Heide, Liberty and Yu—and build leads of 18–12 and 21–12 behind a 9–0 scoring run. Yale countered with its own push, using three late blocks and steady side-out offense to erase set points at 24–21 and 25–24. After the Lions forced extra points on an Atkins kill, the Bulldogs stole the frame with back-to-back plays at the service line to even the match. The set totaled 10 ties and three lead changes.

Yale seized control early and never trailed. Despite kills from Maynulet and Holsen, Columbia struggled to slow the Bulldogs' middle attack and tough service pressure, yielding a 5-0 run followed shortly by a 6-0 stretch. Yale hit .300 in the frame while the Lions were held to seven kills.

Columbia responded with renewed energy, pulling within 12–11 on kills from Holsen, Williamson and Atkins and an ace from Williamson. Yale answered with a 7–2 run keyed by Poinsett and Abraham. The Lions continued to battle—Williamson and Maynulet each produced late kills, and CU fought off set point once, but Yale closed the match with efficient transition hitting. The frame included a single early tie at 1–1.

With the loss, Columbia finished the 2025 campaign with an overall record of 2-21 and was 0-13 in Ivy League play.

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