There’s no better feeling than protecting your home court, especially against a rival that competes only 90 minutes away. On Tuesday night, the Red (4-3) hosted the Colgate Raiders (4-5) in its season home opener and took the victory in four sets.
In the first set, the Red got off to a lethargic start. Errant passes and defensive gaps by the Red saw the Raiders go on a five-point scoring run and take an early 12-6 lead.
“My teammate, Meghan Gaffigan, and I talked to the team about bouncing back and building our rhythm, not by being antsy but by staying calm and confident,” said freshman setter Mikayla Gray. “Playing uptight can make us frantic, so we decided to channel our energy in a way that allowed us to play our game but [then also] kick up the intensity.”
As the set progressed, and with the Red facing a 12-16 deficit, sophomore outside hitter Haley Clark put on her superwoman cape.
Clark delivered a great set to junior libero/setter Sarita Pomar for a kill, and then followed up by generating two service aces. An error by the Raiders and a kill by senior outside/opposite hitter Nicole Mallus saw the Red’s four point deficit turn into a one point lead. Cornell had found their groove.
The teams traded blows until, with the score at 22-20 in favor of the Raiders, they committed two straight errors to knot the score at 22 apiece. The Red capitalized, and after a solo block by sophomore middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons, followed by a duet block by Parsons and senior outside/opposite hitter Meghan Gaffigan, the Red took a two point lead. Cornell would go to win the set 25-23, aided by a service error by outside hitter Milan Bayless on the final volley.
The Raiders’ focus lapsed in the following set, committing three straight errors to start. The Red followed suit and committed three errors of their own to tie the game at three apiece. From this point, it was a back-and forth-affair, with both sides displaying their offensive talent.
Gray, one of the game’s most valuable players, put her body on the line multiple times, diving for loose balls and creating second chance opportunities for the Red. This, coupled with her precise setting and strong service, ensured that the set and overall match never got out of reach.
“I think what really drives my passion on the court is seeing how hard my teammates work alongside me, and how everyone works so hard to do their job on the court,” Gray said. “It pushes me to reciprocate that energy and show them that they can rely on me, as I can [on] them.”
With the Red leading 16-13, the Raiders had another bout of three straight errors, and after an emphatic kill by Parsons, the set was effectively out of reach. The Red would go on to win 25-17 and take a 2-0 match lead.
In the third set, the Raiders got off to a quicker start, relying mainly on their outside hitters to generate offense. Both squads went on multiple scoring runs, refusing to relinquish the lead for more than a few volleys. With the Raiders leading 20-17, they again relied on their outside hitters and strong service to close the set, and Colgate would ultimately win 25-18 after a final service error by the Red.
The final set began close, with the Red holding a 17-15 lead over halfway through. At this moment, Clark took over again.
Five consecutive serves and strong defense on the back end by Clark ensured that the Raiders couldn’t execute their offense, forcing them to send over free balls on their third hits. Coupled with this were two straight kills by senior outside/opposite hitter Eliza Konvicka and two straight blocks by Parsons.
“I think Haley Clark, our sophomore outside hitter, absolutely deserves a shout out for her remarkable performance last night,” Gray said. “She was a total difference maker, as she consistently was a go-to on the pin for when we needed a point. She was a huge asset in the back row as well, as she helped keep vital plays alive and helped us to stay in-system during serve-receive with her excellent passing performance. …[H]er aggressive serves helped us gain momentum against Colgate.”
In all, the Red rattled off six straight points and took a commanding 23-15 lead. It would go on to win 25-19, on a final kill by Konvicka, courtesy of a set by senior setter Doga Ozalp.
“Colgate has some offensive tendencies that we knew we could neutralize if we were focused as the match went on, and we did a great job of executing from the beginning of the match until the end,” said head coach Trudy Vande Berg. “They also made some adjustments and we responded well.”
Following this match, the Red traveled north to Buffalo to take part in the Buffalo Classic, where they faced off against Niagara University, Northwestern University and University at Buffalo between Sept. 12 and Sept. 14.
“We want to continue to work on trusting each other out on the court. We focus on discipline and focus, and keeping it during long rallies in practice,” Vande Berg said before the series. “We are getting better every match and practice, and we need to continue. We can get a little tentative in tight spots, and that’s when we should be going after it!”
The Red defeated the Niagara Purple Eagles (0-8) in four sets on Friday afternoon.
In the opening set, Ozalp made her impact immediately. In delivering strong serves to start the match, along with a precise set to Parsons for a kill, she engineered a quick 4-0 lead for the Red.
With Cornell leading 16-8, they unlocked a new level of discipline, going on a seven-point scoring run to effectively put the set out of reach for Niagara. Within this run, Parsons accumulated another two kills, Konvicka drove a kill into the heart of the Purple Eagles’ defense and Clark delivered consistently strong serves. The Red would go on to win 25-10 on a final ace by Gray and take a 1-0 match lead.
In the following set, the Red got off to another quick start, with Konvicka getting an immediate kill (courtesy of Gray) before achieving two straight aces. The Red’s speed on defense and intelligent hitting on offense severely overwhelmed the Purple Eagles. Ultimately, the set finished 25-17 in favor of the Red after a failed late rally by its opponent.
With Cornell holding a solid 2-0 match, they became lax on all fronts and quickly found themselves down 8-13 in the third set. Though they would battle back to only trailing 14-15, their opponent would go on to pull away, ultimately taking the set 25-22.
In the final set, both squads showed a different level of energy. Competitive offense ensured that neither side held a lead greater than four points for long. At the halfway mark, the set was tied at 12 apiece.
Entrenched in this stalemate, the Red got back to its identity: strong defense and intelligent offense. After a five-point scoring run gave them a 17-12 lead, the Red would not look back, and would go on to win the set 25-15 and the overall match 3-1, capped off with a duet block by Gaffigan and junior middle blocker Ava Bogan.
On Saturday afternoon, the Red faced off against the Northwestern Wildcats (9-1) and were defeated in four sets despite standout performances from Konvicka and Parsons.
From the first set, it seemed as though the Red had met their match. The Wildcats, who featured a diverse array of offensive stars, consistently found holes within the Red’s defense and punished them for it. After a back-and-forth affair, the Wildcats held a 16-9 lead and had no intentions of relinquishing their position.
Though the Red fought back to trail by just four points, a few timing errors ensured that the set never got closer until it was too late. The Wildcats would go on to win 25-22 after a block by outside hitter Ayah Elnady.
After shaking off the nerves of the first set, the Red found new life in the second set, beginning the set with a four-point run. Within this early run, Gray had four assists: two to Bogan and one apiece to Gaffigan and Konvicka. The Red’s lead ballooned to 11-3 and they never looked back. They would go on to win 25-22 and tie the match at 1-1, despite a furious near-comeback fueled by the Wildcat’s outside hitter Bella Bullington.
The Wildcats reestablished their dominance in the third and fourth sets,winning both sets 25-16 and 25-17, respectively. Despite outstanding individual efforts by Konvicka, Parsons and junior outside hitter Jaida Sione, who generated nearly all the points for the Red in the final two sets, the Red ultimately dropped the match 1-3.
On Sunday afternoon, the Red faced their final opponent of the weekend, the University at Buffalo Bulls (3-4), and won the match in four sets.
The Bulls used a 9-1 scoring run to turn a three point deficit into a five point lead in the first set. From there, the Red generated a four point run of its own to tie the set at 13 apiece. In the waning moments, another four point run, fueled with three kills by Konvicka, put the Red ahead for good, and Cornell ultimately took the victory 25-22.
The second set was much of the same, with both sides trading blows. With the Bulls holding a 23-21 lead, the Red went on a four point run, aided by Bulls’ opposite hitter Sydney Bell committing an attack error on the final play, to take the 25-23 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The script reversed in the third set, with the Bulls storming back late with a 5-1 scoring run to take a 25-21 victory, capped off with a kill by outside hitter Emma Converse.
In the final set of the day, the Red completely stymied the Bulls’ offense. Anytime an opening appeared for Buffalo, Cornell would respond with an authoritative scoring run to reestablish a strong lead.
With the set at 24-13 in favor of the Red, a final kill by Bogan, courtesy of Ozalp’s assist, ended the overall match and gave the Red the victory 3-1 in sets.
Over the course of the week, the Red finished 3-1 in matches and will now turn its attention to the Rice Invitational II on Sept. 19-20 before starting Ivy League play. Coverage for the invitational is available on ESPN+.
