Dartmouth Downs Columbia in Straight Sets

Friday, October 27

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

7-11,4-5Ivy League

Columbia

3-15,1-8Ivy League

Columbia

Dartmouth

Amelia Gibbs ’24

Photo by: Chloe Broeker

10/27/2023 9:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Amelia Gibbs racked up 13 kills at a .524 clip to power the Big Green

By: Kyle Relf

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth volleyball team bounced back from a four-match losing streak on Friday evening at Leede Arena, downing Columbia 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-15) for an important Ivy League victory.

In a three-set match that had a little bit of everything, the Big Green edged the Lions in a tight opening set, then mounted an impressive comeback in the second and finally rolled to a dominant victory in the third. Following the sweep, Dartmouth improved to 7-11 overall and 4-5 in the Ivy League, while Columbia dropped to 3-15 and 1-8 in the conference.

The strong swinging of Amelia Gibbs, who ranks among the Ancient Eight's most efficient hitters, powered the Big Green to the tune of 13 kills on just 21 attempts (.524). Maddie LaFata put down nine kills at a .400 clip while Makenzie Arent tallied 23 assists and four aces. First-year Ellie Mattox made her first career appearance and chipped in 11 assists. Harper Justima led Columbia with 11 kills and a .526 hitting percentage.

A late three-point run helped Dartmouth gain separation in the first set and gain a 20-15 edge. The Ancient Eight foes, who battled in a tight five-setter in New York a month ago, were neck-and-neck once again at 17-15 in favor of the Big Green before a Columbia service error preceded a Gibbs kill to swing momentum. Gibbs would come up with two more kills down the stretch and Kauany Gutz followed suit to deliver set point. A Justema Harper hitting error was the Lions' backbreaker.

The comeback was on in set two when Dartmouth faced a 16-10 deficit. Back-to-back Gutz kills helped the Big Green garner momentum before a three-point run brought the score to 17-15. Maddie LaFata came through with consecutive kills to bring the Big Green back within three (20-17) following a 3-0 Columbia run. Trailing 22-18, Dartmouth embarked on an 8-0 game-saving run, capped off by a Gibbs kill, to seal set two. The lengthy run also included a pair of aces from Arent.

No comeback was needed in the third set as Dartmouth raced to a 15-6 advantage by the media timeout and led by as many as 11 down the stretch. An early 4-0 run, which included a kill and a block from Ava Roberts, helped the Big Green pick up where they left off following the late set-two run. A .414 hitting percentage in set three left little doubt that the Big Green would finish off the sweep.

The homestand continues on Saturday, Oct. 28 with Dartmouth welcoming Cornell to Leede Arena. A weekend sweep would also mean season sweeps over the Lions and the Big Red. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available via DartmouthSports.com.