Dartmouth Looks for Crucial Ivy League Wins Against Yale and Brown

MATCH 20
Dartmouth (8-11, 5-5 Ivy League) vs. Yale (15-3, 10-0 Ivy League)
Date and Time: Friday, Nov. 3 | 7 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. | Leede Arena
All-Time Series: 12-51
Last Meeting: Oct. 14, 2023 (L, 3-0)

MATCH 21
Dartmouth (8-11, 5-5 Ivy League) vs. Brown (15-5, 6-4 Ivy League)
Date and Time: Saturday, Nov. 4 | 5 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. | Leede Arena
All-Time Series: 24-33
Last Meeting: Oct. 13, 2023 (L, 3-0)

DOMINANT WEEKEND AT LEEDE ARENA
After needing five sets to beat Columbia on the road in September, Dartmouth displayed its growth by sweeping the Lions on Friday evening. In a three-setter that had a little of everything, the Big Green won a close first set, mounted a comeback in the second and then cruised wire-to-wire in the third. Saturday's straight-set win over Cornell was even more dominant, as evidenced by the match time of one hour and 13 minutes. The Big Red were held to a negative hitting percentage while Ellie Blain and Maddie LaFata combined for 18 kills and both hit well over .400.

TALE OF TWO WEEKENDS
The two-match win streak is put to the test against two of the top three teams in the Ivy League, both of which Dartmouth has struggled against in recent history. The Big Green have lost 20 of their last 22 against Yale dating back to 2012 and have been on the wrong end of seven straight against Brown, going back to the start of the 2019 season. That's a sharp contrast to last weekend's opponents, both of whom Dartmouth has won seven straight over (Cornell and Columbia).

MATTOX STEPS UP
First-year setter Ellie Mattox hadn't seen the court all season until Friday's match against Columbia, but filled in as the Big Green were without the services of Karen Murphy, and notched 11 assists before recording 15 against Cornell.

MILESTONE WATCH
Junior libero Emma Engstrom is only five away from 1,000 career digs and fifth-year setter Makenzie Arent is 24 away from 2,000 career assists.

THANK YOU SENIORS!
Dartmouth will honor its class of 2024 (Karen Murphy, Ellie Blain, Natalie Grover, Amelia Gibbs and Bomi Ogunlari), prior to Saturday's match. The group helped the program improve from four straight losing seasons to back-to-back winning seasons (2021 and 2022) and an Ivy League Tournament berth in 2022.

TOURNAMENT RACE HEATS UP
With only four matches remaining the regular season, Dartmouth (5-5) is in sole possession of fifth and currently looking up at Harvard (6-4). The Crimson lost to Cornell in a five-setter, which was helpful for the Big Green, but wins against some of the Ivy League's best will be necessary in order to garner a tournament berth. The remaining schedule features three of the conference's top four teams.

Schedules