Saturday, September 5
New York, N.Y.
6:00 PM
Columbia
3-0,0-0Ivy League
3
vs
1
Lafayette
3-3,0-0Patriot
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | 25 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 1 |
| Columbia | 21 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Downs Lafayette In Four
9/5/2026 8:54:00 PM | Volleyball
Columbia wins third straight to open 2026
NEW YORK – Seven players collected two or more kills as Columbia's depth was on display in a four-set win over Lafayette to complete a perfect 3-0 weekend at the Big Apple Tournament. Senior Avery Jones piled up a career-high 18 kills as the Lions rallied back from a first-set deficit.
Columbia (3-0) hit .305 as a team (60 kills, 20 errors, 131 attempts) and out-blocked the Leopards 9-6.5. Setter Claire Mo ran the offense with 27 assists, while Clara Yu added 19 assists to go with three service aces.
On the attack, Maria Happ (nine kills, .412) and Alexia Cornea (10 kills, .318) gave Columbia a third and fourth attacking option alongside Jones, and Elise Hiemstra chipped in nine kills on .438 hitting. Delaney Seaman paced the defense with 11 digs, and Madison Hsieh added two service aces and 14 digs off the bench.
Lafayette (3-3) grabbed the early edge in the match opener, holding off a late Columbia push to escape with a 25-21 win. Serve-receive play proved to be the difference in the first. Lafayette finished the set with three aces; meanwhile, the Lions had four service errors.
Columbia squared the match by evening its play at the service line and finishing with a decisive run down the stretch. With the Lions leading the third set 20-17, a kill by Jones gave Columbia some breathing room, and first-year middle blocker Danica Nordlicht stepped to the line and reeled off three consecutive service aces. Jones closed it out with a kill off a Mo assist to win it, 25-20.
In the third set, a Jones kill put the Lions out front 7-6, and they never looked back. Columbia hit a match-high .438 in the set, smashing 17 kills on 32 swings with just three attack errors. Hiemstra was a big factor, smashing six kills on eight swings with no errors. The sixth kill by Hiemstra sealed the set 25-16, giving Columbia a 2-1 lead heading into the final set.
In the fourth set, Jones once again took control. The Lions' senior finished the frame with seven kills on eight swings. With the Lions leading by one late in the set, back-to-back kills from Jones gave Columbia a 21-19 lead. From there, they held on, scoring four of the last five points. Jones' 18th kill of the night sealed the win.
The 18 kills for Jones surpassed her previous career-high of 15 set against Harvard on Nov. 2, 2024.
Columbia's 3-0 start is just their fourth in program history; the last time the Lions started 3-0 was in 2014.
Columbia returns to action on Friday, Sept. 11, when they take on Mercyhurst to open the Laker Invitational. That match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first serve.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
For the latest on Columbia volleyball, follow @CULionsVB on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Columbia (3-0) hit .305 as a team (60 kills, 20 errors, 131 attempts) and out-blocked the Leopards 9-6.5. Setter Claire Mo ran the offense with 27 assists, while Clara Yu added 19 assists to go with three service aces.
On the attack, Maria Happ (nine kills, .412) and Alexia Cornea (10 kills, .318) gave Columbia a third and fourth attacking option alongside Jones, and Elise Hiemstra chipped in nine kills on .438 hitting. Delaney Seaman paced the defense with 11 digs, and Madison Hsieh added two service aces and 14 digs off the bench.
Lafayette (3-3) grabbed the early edge in the match opener, holding off a late Columbia push to escape with a 25-21 win. Serve-receive play proved to be the difference in the first. Lafayette finished the set with three aces; meanwhile, the Lions had four service errors.
Columbia squared the match by evening its play at the service line and finishing with a decisive run down the stretch. With the Lions leading the third set 20-17, a kill by Jones gave Columbia some breathing room, and first-year middle blocker Danica Nordlicht stepped to the line and reeled off three consecutive service aces. Jones closed it out with a kill off a Mo assist to win it, 25-20.
In the third set, a Jones kill put the Lions out front 7-6, and they never looked back. Columbia hit a match-high .438 in the set, smashing 17 kills on 32 swings with just three attack errors. Hiemstra was a big factor, smashing six kills on eight swings with no errors. The sixth kill by Hiemstra sealed the set 25-16, giving Columbia a 2-1 lead heading into the final set.
In the fourth set, Jones once again took control. The Lions' senior finished the frame with seven kills on eight swings. With the Lions leading by one late in the set, back-to-back kills from Jones gave Columbia a 21-19 lead. From there, they held on, scoring four of the last five points. Jones' 18th kill of the night sealed the win.
The 18 kills for Jones surpassed her previous career-high of 15 set against Harvard on Nov. 2, 2024.
Columbia's 3-0 start is just their fourth in program history; the last time the Lions started 3-0 was in 2014.
Columbia returns to action on Friday, Sept. 11, when they take on Mercyhurst to open the Laker Invitational. That match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first serve.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
For the latest on Columbia volleyball, follow @CULionsVB on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/S
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
Laf
CU
Kills
42
60
Errors
15
20
Attempts
113
131
Hitting %
.239
.305
Points
54.5
82.0
Assists
42
58
Aces
6
13
Blocks
6.5
9
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Friday, September 04
Thursday, September 03
Saturday, November 08
Friday, October 10
