NEW YORK — Columbia volleyball opened Ivy League play on Friday night at Levien Gymnasium, battling through a tightly contested match but ultimately falling 3–0 (20-25, 23-25, 24-26) to Cornell.

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.

Leading the Columbia attack was first-year outside hitter Elena Maynuet, who had a match-high 11 kills. She also had five digs and two block assists. Juliana Williams had a season-high seven kills along with an ace and a block. 

Serves played a big difference on the evening. Columbia finished the night with eight service aces - three from Clara Yu and two each from Delaney Seaman and Madison Hsieh. However, the Lions tallied 13 service errors. Cornell responded with nine service aces of their own and just seven service errors. 

Columbia got off to a hot start offensively, swinging at a .348 clip with 11 kills and just three errors. Williamson had four kills in the set, while Avery Jones added three, helping the Lions rally from an early 8–4 deficit to tie the frame at 15. Cornell responded with a 7–2 run behind strong serving from Eliza Konvicka to pull away for a 25–20 win.

The second set featured eight ties and five lead changes in a back-and-forth battle. Yu sparked Columbia early with a service ace and a Jones kill to help the Lions take a 4–2 lead. Later in the set, Seaman's serving run turned a 21–17 deficit into a 21–21 tie, including two aces and a pair of kills from Williamson. Cornell regrouped late, fending off the Lions' comeback with a Konvicka kill to close out the set, 25–23.

In the third, Columbia again pushed Cornell deep into the set, taking advantage of strong serving from Hsieh and steady setting from Ruby van der Heide, who dished out 30 assists on the night. A pair of early service aces from Hsieh helped Columbia take a 5–2 lead, and late kills from Amanda Holsen and Williamson tied the frame at 24–24. Cornell scored the final two points on a Konvicka kill and a Columbia attack error to secure the sweep, 26–24.

Leading the Big Red was Mackenzie Parsons, who had 11 kills on 16 swings. AKonvicka added 10. 

The Lions return to action next Friday when they host Dartmouth. First serve between Columbia and the Big Green is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

FOLLOWING THE LIONS
For the latest on Columbia volleyball, follow @CULionsVB on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.