HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth volleyball team battled fellow 2022 Ivy League Tournament participant Princeton in a few close sets, but suffered a 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-15) loss on Saturday evening at Leede Arena.
The Big Green moved to 6-8 and 3-2 in the Ivy League, while Princeton improved to 7-7 and 4-2 in the Ancient Eight.
Kauany Gutz led Dartmouth with 15 kills, but was outdone by Princeton's Kamryn Chaney, who racked up a match-high 16 kills, along with five aces.
Emma Engstrom recorded a season-high 16 digs and
Karen Murphy had a team-high 23 assists — more than enough to reach 1,000 for her career, becoming the ninth player in program history (and second current player) to reach the milestone.
Dartmouth won the second set after dropping the first and looked primed for a comeback in the third after a late 5-0 run, but wasn't able to finish. Victory was within reach for the Tigers in the fourth and they responded, leading wire-to-wire to seal the match.
The Big Green rolled to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, but fell behind after the first of two lengthy Princeton runs that proved troublesome. A 5-0 run preceded a 6-0 run, which allowed the Tigers to grab a 20-14 lead. Dartmouth came back within three after
Bomi Ogunlari's kill, but Chaney ended her dominant set with a fourth kill to pair with her three aces.
8-3, in favor of Princeton, was the largest lead for either side in the second set. Dartmouth claimed the lead after stringing to together a
Maddie LaFata kill and back-to-back Gutz winners, bringing the score to 11-10. More LaFata kills were key down the stretch, and the Big Green held a 22-19 edge after
Makenzie Arent's ace. A late Gutz kill helped Dartmouth fend off Princeton and regain a much-needed two-point cushion before
Amelia Gibbs sealed with it with a kill and an ace.
The third set began to slip away before Dartmouth climbed back within three, 22-19, with a 5-0 run highlighted by a kill and a block from LaFata. Engstrom's ace had the Big Green back within two, 23-21, after Princeton ended the run. Gutz came through with a late kill (24-22), but it wasn't enough to quell the Tigers.
Princeton raced to a 12-4 edge in the fourth set and didn't look back, eventually leading 20-10 and points were traded until Dartmouth faced match point and Gutz committed a service error.
The Big Green are set to appear on national television on Friday, Oct. 13 as their match at Brown will air on ESPNU. The action begins at 5 p.m. and live stats will be available through DartmouthSports.com.