Penn Volleyball Falls to Cornell in Four Sets, Eyes Harvard in Senior Weekend Showdown
Penn Volleyball concluded their weekend trip in Ithaca tonight with a loss to Cornell in four sets, with the scores being 16-25, 18-25, 27-25, and 19-25. The loss drops Penn to 11–9 overall and 26-26 all-time against Cornell. The defeat sets up a Senior Weekend showdown against Harvard on November 6.
Against Cornell, Penn recorded 41 kills, 4.0 blocks, and 63 digs, whereas the Big Red achieved 46 kills, 18.0 blocks, and 67 digs. Zada Sanger led the Penn offense totaling 12 kills, 13 points, and hitting .143. Jenna Garner added 11 kills and hit .091. Garner also tallied 11 digs, making it her tenth double-double of the season. Elsa McDermott led the back row with 18 digs.
The Set-by-Set Breakdown: A Tale of Momentum and Resilience
Set 1 | Cornell started off strong, scoring five points before Penn could take their first. This advantage persisted throughout the set, as the Quakers couldn’t narrow the gap to under two points, resulting in the Big Red securing the set 25-16.
Set 2 | The Big Red carried the momentum from their first-set victory into this second set, establishing an early lead against the Quakers that remained consistent throughout the entire set. Penn showcased strong performance from the service line, earning six aces against the Big Red, but Cornell countered with a formidable offense to win the set 25-18. For Cornell, Jaida Sione led the offense with 15 kills.
Set 3 | Penn started to build momentum in this set, achieving their first tie of the evening at 11-11. The Quakers then seized their initial lead at 14-13, followed by a two-point advantage at 17-15. Extra points, 11 ties, and seven lead changes later, Penn took the third set 27-25.
Set 4 | Cornell held an early lead in this set, but the Quakers launched a 6-point rally to narrow the gap to 18-22. Nevertheless, the Big Red managed to halt Penn’s momentum and clinched the set 25-19, resulting in a 3-1 match victory.
Historical Context
Penn will begin their Senior Weekend against Harvard, Friday, November 6th, at 6:00pm.
