Big Green Victorious on National Stage

Sunday, October 2

Hanover, N.H.

12:30 PM

Dartmouth College

10-3,2-1Ivy League

Penn

1-12,0-3Ivy League

Penn

Dartmouth

Photo by: Gil Talbot

10/2/2022 4:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights

Dartmouth downed Penn in four sets in the nationally televised match at Leede Arena

By: Kyle Relf

HANOVER, N.H. — Hosting its first nationally televised match in program history, the Dartmouth volleyball team downed Penn in four sets Sunday afternoon at Leede Arena. The Big Green claimed the first two sets before dropping the third, and later stormed back to seal the win with a strong fourth-set finish.

"I liked how we bounced back from Friday night's tough loss and had great starts to the first and second sets," said head coach Gilad Doron. "We took a breath at the wrong time in the third set and we will have a chance to look at it and make sure we play better and cleaner next weekend."

Ellie Blain finished with 13 kills on an impressive .435 hitting percentage to lead the Dartmouth attack. She also tied a career-high with three aces. Amelia Gibbs had an efficient day as well, posting 10 kills at a .412 clip. Makenzie Arent notched 21 assists, while Karen Murphy followed with 19. Defensive efforts were powered by Emma Engstrom, who tallied 14 digs, and five total blocks by Bomi Ogunlari, who played against her younger sister (Penn's Feyi Ogunlari). Grace Wiczek also chipped in with a career-best four blocks.

Dartmouth (10-3, 2-1) earned the first four points of the opening set and barely broke stride, setting the tone for Sunday's powerful performance. The Big Green used a 10-point run with Blain as the server to fully take control. The end of that stretch featured back-to-back aces by Blain as the Big Green stretched their lead to 16-3. The Quakers (1-12, 0-3) responded to eventually come within four, but Dartmouth sealed a 25-17 win.

The Big Green didn't see the same type of dominant start in the second set, but were strong down the stretch to take a 25-12 decision. The Quakers battled to a 5-5 tie, but it was all Dartmouth from that point on as Gibbs' kill broke that stalemate, and Wiczek and Taite Ryan added consecutive kills. The Big Green eventually held a 17-6 advantage and the two sides traded points until Ali Silva's ace marked the final point.

Penn stormed back from a late four-point deficit to claim the third set. The Quakers trailed 20-16, but went on to earn the game's final nine points for a 25-20 triumph that forced a fourth set. The Big Green, who rank fourth in the nation in service aces per set, came up with key aces earlier in the game thanks to Murphy and Ava Roberts, although they were unable to fend off Penn's late surge.

Tied 14-14 in the fourth set, Dartmouth took the lead with Gibbs' kill and after Penn's hitting error, led by three thanks to another Roberts' ace. A five-point run powered in part by Wiczek would soon follow. The senior tallied two kills and a block assist during that stretch. Ryan's ace and Ogunlari's kill marked the final two points of the match as the Leede Arena crowd rose to their feet.

The Big Green are back at Leede Arena next weekend, beginning with a match against Brown Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.