Big Green to Face the Crimson in Stand-Alone Match

Friday, Oct. 21: Dartmouth (8-10, 1-6) at Harvard (5-11, 3-4)
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Live Stats
ILDN

THIS WEEKEND
Having played all seven Ivy League teams once already, the Dartmouth volleyball team will start over at the beginning with a stand-alone match against Harvard on Friday, heading to Cambridge for a 7 p.m. match.

LAST TIME OUT
The Big Green concluded their non-conference schedule with a mid-week contest against Bryant, defeating the Bulldogs, 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19) at Leede Arena. Zoe Leonard had her third double-double in a row, ending up with 12 digs and 24 assists, while Emily Astarita had a team-leading nine kills and Carly Tower had a .389 hitting percentage.

Dartmouth got off to a 6-0 lead in the first set following four Bryant errors, an ace by Leonard and a kill by Molly Kornfeind. The Big Green got as many as 11 points ahead (18-7) when the Bulldogs started to make moves, going on a 7-2 run to get themselves into double digits (20-14). A Bryant error, a kill by Kaira Lujan, an ace by Sierra Lyle and a Kornfeind kill put Dartmouth at set point (24-15) and, although they had to wait two more points, a Bulldog error gave the Big Green their first win (25-17).

The first two points of the second set went to Dartmouth but, after that, Bryant took control, going on an 8-2 run to lead, 8-4. The teams traded points and soon, the Big Green trailed by only one (18-17). Six consecutive points put the Bulldogs at match point (24-17), but the home team started to chip away at that lead, getting within two points (24-22). There was not enough time to make a comeback, however, as one more kill gave the Bulldogs the set.

Bryant had a good start in the third and soon had a 7-3 edge, but that did not last long, as a 7-3 run on Dartmouth's side of the net tied the score at 10-all. From there, six points – separated by a single Bulldog kill – gave the Big Green a 16-11 lead. Dartmouth maintained a comfortable lead until the end when Bryant, trailing by a score of 23-17, scored four in a row to get within two (23-21). The Bulldogs did not get any further and an error by Bryant and a Lujan kill made it 2-1 (25-21).

Six of the first seven points of the fourth set went in Dartmouth's direction following kills by Danielle Glinka and Astarita and three Bulldog errors (6-1). Bryant would get within one after a four-point run (13-12), but the visitors would never get that close again. Five points in a row a few minutes later off kills by Sara Lindquist and Astarita, a Bryant error and an ace by Maddy Schoenberger put Dartmouth's third and final victory within grasp (23-15). Bryant crept a little closer, but one more error and a kill by Lujan ended the match (25-19).

SCOUTING HARVARD
The Crimson enter the weekend with an overall record of 5-11 and are 3-4 in conference action. Their Ivy schedule is a difficult one, as the first five matches in this season were played on the road, meaning Harvard is in the midst of a five-match homestand. So far, the Crimson have defeated Dartmouth (3-0), Brown (3-1) and Columbia (3-0), falling to Princeton (3-0), Penn (3-1), Yale (3-1) and Cornell (3-2).

LAST TIME AGAINST THE CRIMSON
Almost a month ago, Dartmouth and Harvard kicked off Ivy League play at Leede Arena, and the Crimson returned home with a 3-0 victory (27-25, 25-16, 25-23). Lindquist had a good match, ending the night with a team-leading 12 kills, five digs and two block assists. Corinne Cox led with her 15 assists and Lyle had 10 digs.

IN THE CONFERENCE
Dartmouth is doing well among its Ancient Eight opponents:
Opponent hitting percentage – 2nd (.174)
Blocks – 3rd (132)
Blocks/Set – 3rd (2.03)
Service Aces – 2nd (92)
Service Aces/Set – 3rd (1.42)
Digs – 2nd (1030)
Digs/Set – 3rd (15.85)

Individually, the Big Green have a handful of players near the top in a number of categories:
Kills – Astarita, 3rd (189)
Kills/Set – Astarita, 5th (2.91)
Service Aces – Cox, 4th (23)
Service Aces/Set – Cox, 5th (0.37)
Total Blocks – Lujan, 1st (69.0)
Blocks/Set – Lujan, 2nd (1.10)

FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats will be available on DartmouthSports.com. Those who subscribe to the Ivy League Digital Network (ILDN) can also watch the matches online. For updates on the team, follow Dartmouth's new official twitter: @DartmouthVBall.

NEXT UP FOR THE BIG GREEN
Dartmouth will host Princeton and Penn over Homecoming weekend, Oct. 28-29. Both matches will take place at 5 p.m.

Schedules