Crimson Drops Decision Against Big Red

With festivities for Harvard’s 375th birthday under way nearby, its women’s volleyball team (9-7, 2-4 Ivy) could not take part in the celebration, dropping a 3-1 decision to Cornell (3-15, 1-5 Ivy) on Friday night. The Big Red, which had not won a game in the Ancient Eight before the match, beat the Crimson 12-25, 25-18, 25-17, and 25-18.

“Cornell was playing lights out, while our team didn’t really show up to play,” co-captain Christine Wu said. “They broke down our system ... and it was hard for us to get back into it and compete with them.”

Harvard began the match much differently than how it finished, taking the first set handily, 25-12.

But Cornell was not ready to quit. The Big Red came back in a big way, taking the remaining three games for the win.

Cornell kept Harvard to under 20 points in the final three sets and only got better in each successive set, building its hitting percentage from .275 in the second game to .292 in the third and .308 in the fourth and final frame. The Crimson, in contrast, worsened with each game, dropping from a .211 hitting percentage in the opening game to a meager .065 in the fourth.

Harvard junior Taylor Docter led all hitters with 14 kills and five blocks in the match. The Crimson has now dropped two league matches in a row but will have another chance for a win against Columbia Saturday evening.

-Check thecrimson.com for updates.