Cornell University’s women’s volleyball team will travel to play two Ivy League matches this weekend, facing Dartmouth on Friday and Harvard on Saturday, November 1. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Big Red currently hold a 12-6 overall record and are 7-1 in Ivy League play. The team is coming off a recent win against Columbia, which helped them remain near the top of the conference standings. Key players contributing to Cornell’s season include senior outside hitter Meghan Gaffigan, junior middle blocker Ava Bogan, and sophomore middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons.
Parsons has made an impact defensively at the net and is ranked 12th nationally in hitting percentage with .422. Senior outside hitter Eliza Konvicka has received her third Ivy League Player of the Week award and continues to lead the offense. Senior setter Doga Ozalp recently achieved over 2,000 career assists.
As a team, Cornell leads the Ivy League in points (1,171.5) and points per set (17.5), ranks second in hitting percentage (.255) and total kills (897), third in kills per set (13.39), first in total blocks (153), and second in blocks per set (2.28).
Dartmouth enters the match with a 5-13 overall record and is 2-6 in Ivy League games after losing to Harvard last week. The team’s offense is led by senior outside hitter Kauany Gutz with 174 kills, supported by junior rightside hitter Maddie LaFata with 141 kills, and sophomore setter Sophia Gagnepain who has recorded 351 assists this season. Libero EllaMae Fitzgerald anchors Dartmouth’s defense with 215 digs.
Harvard holds a 4-12 record overall and is 3-5 within the conference following their win over Dartmouth. Their attack features first-year outside hitter Sofia Rossi with 159 kills and senior Brynne Faltinsky with 148 kills. Sophomore Taylor Larkin leads Harvard in blocking stats while setting duties are shared between Sophia Wei and Nicole Cornell.
After this weekend’s road trip, Cornell will return home for more Ivy League action at Newman Arena—hosting Penn on Friday, November 7 at 7 p.m., followed by Princeton on Saturday, November 8 at 6 p.m.—as they continue their pursuit of the conference title.
