HAMILTON, N.Y. -- The Cornell volleyball team won a marathon third set against Colgate on Saturday night from Cotterell Court to stay alive in the match. But the momentum did not stick around, as the Big Red fell in four sets (23-25, 16-25, 33-31, 17-25) in its last match in the Ellis Rowland Memorial Invitational. Cornell fell to 1-5 on the season, while Colgate improved to 5-4.

Sophomore Eliza Konvicka paced the Big Red with a team-high 17 kills, five block assists, and three service aces, while freshman Jaida Sione had 11 kills. Other leaders included sophomore Nicole Mallus with nine kills and junior Camryn Carlo with eight kills and a team-high .429 hitting percentage in the defeat for the Big Red, who have dropped six consecutive matches. Colgate's Sophie Thompson led the charge for the Raiders with eight kills and nine block assists, who have now won three of its last five matches against Cornell.

Colgate had the slight edge in most statistical categories over the Big Red, including assists (50-46), kills (52-50), and hitting percentage (.179 - .087) in a match that saw 36 tie scores and 15 lead changes.

The highlight for the Big Red came in a whirlwind third set. The Raiders started the set on a 6-2 run and looked to be pulling away. But the Big Red had other plans, using three separate 3-0 runs to deadlock the scoring at 13-13. Both teams continued to trade points until a Mallus kill and consecutive aces by Konvicka gave the Big Red its largest lead of the set at 19-16. Cornell looked to be in the driver's seat to push the match to a fourth set until the momentum pendulum swung back to the Raiders, pushing the set to extra points by tying things at 25 apiece. The Big Red would have five chances to clinch the set, missing the mark on the first four. But the fifth time was the charm, as the Big Red cashed in on consecutive Raiders errors to clinch its longest set in five seasons, 33-31. The marathon set also saw 15 tie scores and six lead changes. 

With the excitement of the third set still alive, the Big Red came out firing in the fourth, starting on a 5-1 run, highlighted by kills from Carlo and Sione. Cornell would hold onto the lead until Colgate tied things at ten later in the set. That was all the Raiders needed, as they outscored the Big Red 15-7 to clinch the match, dropping Cornell to 1-5 on the year.

Match Notes

• Cornell's third set marathon win over the Raiders was the first time the Big Red and an opponent had gone over 30 points in a set since Sept. 7, 2018, when the Big Red and Houston faced off in Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup in Texas. Cornell won that set 35-33 but lost the match 3-1.
• Eliza Konvicka has had double-digit kills in five of seven matches this season and recorded her second three-ace performance in two days.
• Junior Camryn Carlo led the Big Red in hitting percentage for the third consecutive match. She is currently the team leader with a .411 over six games.
• With Saturday's loss, the Big Red have lost three out of five matchups against the Raiders. Cornell's last win against Colgate came in three sets on Sept. 4, 2021, in Albany, N.Y. 

Up Next

The Big Red returns to Newman Arena at Bartels Hall next weekend for its Cornell Invitational. Cornell will host Morgan State on Friday, Sept. 15, at 7:00 p.m. before facing off in its first-ever matchup against Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 2:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.