Cornell volleyball endured a pair of tightly contested five-set matches Saturday, dropping decisions to UAlbany and Syracuse to finish its home tournament at Newman Arena with a 1-2 record.
The Big Red opened the day against UAlbany and nearly pulled out the victory after taking a 2-1 lead. Cornell won the first and third sets, 25-23, but the Great Danes forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 victory in the fourth.
The finale went down to the wire. Cornell fought back from a 13-10 deficit to tie the set at 13-13 and eventually held a 16-15 advantage. UAlbany answered with three consecutive points, however, to claim the set 18-16 and the match 3-2.
Mackenzie Parsons led Cornell with 16 kills, six blocks and five digs. Jaida Sione and Ellery Williamson each added 13 kills, with Williamson also recording nine digs. Ava Bogan finished with 11 kills and six blocks, while Mary Wolcott contributed 30 assists.
Cornell returned to the court Saturday evening and again pushed an opponent to five sets, this time against Syracuse. The Orange won the opening set 25-22, but Cornell responded by taking the second 25-23.
Syracuse edged Cornell 26-24 in the third set before the Big Red dominated the fourth, 25-16, to force another deciding frame. Syracuse ultimately prevailed 15-11.
Bogan delivered 16 kills while hitting .522 and added eight blocks. Parsons recorded 12 kills and eight digs, while Williamson had nine kills and a team-high 13 digs. Wolcott finished with 27 assists and Trinidy Tien added 15 digs.
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Cornell opened the tournament Friday with a sweep of Howard before dropping both Saturday matches. The Big Red will return to action next weekend at the Binghamton Invitational.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.