Sometimes, lessons are more important than results. The Red embodied this philosophy this past weekend when it traveled to Houston to participate in the Rice Invitational II, along with the host Rice University, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Christian University.
In Cornell’s (5-5) opening match on Friday morning, it faced the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) and was defeated in three sets.
Early in the first set, it appeared that the Red would be overwhelmed by the Horned Frogs’ potent offense, but after falling into a 9-3 hole, it found its footing and started to fight back. Kills by senior outside/opposite hitter Eliza Konvicka, junior middle blocker Ava Bogan, and sophomore outside hitter Haley Clark helped Cornell claw back to a three-point deficit.
The Horned Frogs responded with a run of their own, in part because of four errors by the Red, leading to a 20-13 advantage. With the set seemingly out of reach, the Horned Frogs committed six errors, which coupled with a kill by senior outside/opposite hitter Meghan Gaffigan to tie the set at 20 apiece. Though the Red fought hard, a final error gave TCU a 26-24 victory and a 1-0 match lead.
The Red got off to a much better start in the second set, going blow for blow with the Horned Frogs. With the score knotted at four apiece, TCU’s offensive array took command, led by outside hitters Becca Kelley and Evan Hendrix. They would go on to claim a 25-14 win.
Despite another slow start for the Red, its defense and strong service kept the team alive in the third set.
“I worked hard over the summer on my defense, [focusing] on getting good touches instead of trying to be perfect,” Clark said.
A 9-2 run even saw Cornell take its first three-point lead of the match, with notable kills from Clark and Konvicka. In a back-and-forth affair, the Horned Frogs would take the set 25-23 on a final kill by Hendrix and ultimately sweep the Red.
Though the Red relented the match, coming within two points on the first and third sets proved an ability to fight against even the country’s top squads.
“We learned that our team has a lot of potential and can compete with high-level teams,” Clark said.
On Friday evening, the Red took on the Rice Owls (4-7) and were defeated in three sets.
In the first set, both squads came out with a ton of energy, generating kills from their middle blockers and outside hitters. Following a block by Gaffigan, the Red trailed 16-17 and seemed poised to tie the game. However, the Owls went on an 8-0 scoring run to close the set and take a 25-16 victory.
The Red showed life in the second and third sets, but it was much of the same. Gaping holes in Cornell’s defense, coupled with recurring errors on the offensive end, led to an inability to generate any sustained scoring runs. The Red would suffer defeats of 19-25 and 18-25, respectively, and be swept by the Owls.
On Saturday morning, the Red took on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (4-8) in its final match of the Rice Invitational II and claimed the victory in four sets.
In the opening set, it seemed as though the Red’s woes from the night before carried over. Cornell was unable to put together a consistent offensive game plan, nor were they able to generate blocks on defense, leading to short volleys. The Red would concede the set 25-27 after a duet block by the Islanders’ Katelyn Krienke and Virginia Van Der Werff.
In the second set, the Red found its footing on the backs of Bogan and Konvicka. The middle blocker and outside hitter accounted for 12 of the 25 points in the second set, leading to a 25-17 victory and a tied match.
In the third and fourth sets, the Red relied on its second lineup of players to close out the match, with contributions coming from Konvicka, junior outside hitter Jaida Sione and sophomore middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons. Crafty hitting by Sione and stifling defense from Parsons allowed the Red to cruise to a 24-15 victory in the third set and a clutch 25-23 win in the fourth.
Though the weekend didn’t start off the way Cornell wanted, the team bounced back strongly and claimed a victory against the Islanders squad.
Junior libero/setter Sarita Pomar received All-Tournament Team honors for her incredible defense on the back end.
“Sarita had really good defense and [excelled in her] serve receive [role],” Clark said.
Looking ahead, the Red will travel to New York City for its Ivy League opener against the Columbia Lions at 6 p.m. on Sept. 27. Coverage is available on ESPN+.
