Big Green Drop Close Match to Columbia at Home

Saturday, October 15

Hanover, N.H.

5:00 PM

Dartmouth College

7-10, 1-6

Columbia

10-7, 5-2

Columbia

Dartmouth

Big Green Drop Close Match to Columbia at Home

10/15/2016 7:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. – The night after defeating Cornell in five sets, the Dartmouth volleyball team fell to Columbia, 3-1 (30-28, 25-27, 22-25, 17-25) at Leede Arena on Saturday evening. The Big Green dipped to 7-10 overall and 1-6 in Ivy League play, while the Lions rebounded from a loss to Harvard the day before to improve to 10-7 and 5-2.

Senior Emily Astarita and sophomore Zoe Leonard both had double-doubles for the second night in a row, with Astarita getting 13 kills and 19 digs and Leonard ending the match with 11 digs and 22 assists. Freshman Carly Tower made a splash in her first multi-set performance, ending up with seven kills, 22 total attacks and five block assists.

"At times, we played some of our better stretches of volleyball and it is very good to see the growth of our team," head coach Gilad Doron said. "We do need to learn how to take care of the ball better and limit some of the runs so we are able to close games. I am very optimistic that, if we keep working on those things, we can turn more games and matches our way."

The first set was very close and there were 13 ties in all. Columbia got ahead early and soon had a 10-6 lead, but that was when Dartmouth started to make its comeback. Four points off two Lion errors and a kill apiece by junior Sara Lindquist and senior Kaira Lujan tied the score at 10-all. Columbia took the lead again, getting as many as five points ahead (18-13), but an 11-4 run by Dartmouth made it 24-22 in the Big Green's favor. From there, there were five ties, the last of which occurring at 28-28. Two Astarita kills gave the first very long set to Dartmouth (30-28).

A service ace by freshman Corinne Cox gave the first point of the second set to Dartmouth and the teams soon started trading points. With Dartmouth trailing, 9-8, a 6-2 run on the other side of the net gave Columbia a 13-10 edge. The Big Green managed to creep closer and closer and, following two more kills by Astarita, it was a 24-24 set. The Lions made it set point, but so did the home team following another Astarita kill (25-25). Two Columbia kills made it a 1-1 match (27-25).

Dartmouth won the first three points of the third set following a Lion error and kills by Lindquist and senior Danielle Glinka, but four straight by Columbia gave the lead to the visitors. That edge, however, was short-lived as, a few points later, seven straight Big Green points following kills by Astarita (2) and junior Morgan Dressel (3), and three errors by the Lions gave Dartmouth an 11-8 advantage. The Big Green remained ahead until seven consecutive Columbia points gave the lead back to the Lions (21-17). Near the end, with Columbia at set point, two aces by sophomore Sierra Lyle, a kill by Dressel and a Columbia error, Dartmouth got within two (24-22), but a well-timed kill gave set three to the visitors (25-22).

The Lions had a pretty firm hold over the fourth set, starting in the middle. With the score tied at 14-all, five straight by Columbia put a victory on the horizon (19-14). Six of the next nine points went to the Lions – with the three Dartmouth points all being credited to Tower for a trio of kills – and Columbia quickly shut down the match (25-17).

The Big Green will host their final non-conference match on Wednesday, Oct. 19, welcoming Bryant to Leede Arena at 7 p.m.