Nov. 2, 2007

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NEW YORK--At this point in the season, there is no margin of error for the Yale volleyball team--even against last-place Columbia. The Lions (3-19, 0-10 Ivy) put up a fight, but the Bulldogs (14-5, 8-2 Ivy) took care of business, posting a 30-26, 30-25, 30-21 victory Friday night at Levien Gymnasium. The win was Yale's season-high sixth straight and keeps the Bulldogs no worse than two losses behind first-place Princeton in the Ivy standings, pending the Tigers' result against Dartmouth.

The squads swapped points early and often in game one. There were 16 ties and seven lead changes in the game. Columbia opened up an early 3-1 lead before Yale charged back to force a 4-4 tie. Neither side was able to build a lead of more than a few points throughout the game. The teams kept swapping two points and the lead went back-and-forth. The Bulldogs finally garnered some distance when a 5-0 run on Julia Mailander's serve turned a 22-20 deficit into a 25-22 advantage. That run proved to be decisive, as Columbia was unable to claw its way back. Kristen Wilk's kill capped a 30-26 Yale win.

Yale took a 7-2 lead early in game two and maintained that advantage throughout. The Lions came roaring back and pulled within 23-22 before Nicole Perkins smashed a kill to restore Yale's two-point edge. Columbia scored the next two points to force a 24-24 tie, but the Bulldogs rallied for the next two and a 26-24 edge, prompting a Columbia timeout. Perkins' block was the key play in a 4-0 rally that all but sealed the game. Yale won game two, 30-25, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The teams were tied five times early in game three. With the score knotted at 9-9, the Bulldogs scored three straight points to take a 12-9 lead. Yale led the rest of the way, with the advantage reaching six at 24-18. A Kelly Ozurovich service ace and a Wilk kill set up match point, which Laurel Johnson put away with her only kill of the match on the final point. The Bulldogs won game three, 30-21, capping a 3-0 match victory.

Julia Mailander finished with a match-high 14 kills and added 11 digs. Allison Kaptur and Perkins each posted 11 kills in the victory. Ozurovich tallied a match-high 16 digs, as the Bulldogs out-dug the Lions 66-49. Ally Mendenhall registered 45 assists and nine digs. Yale hit .295 (56-17-132) as a team, including a staggering .463 (21-2-41) in game three.

Natalie Gerling led the Lions with 13 kills. She added nine digs and two aces. Amalia Viti posted 12 kills for Columbia. Cassie Ligh had nine kills and 15 digs, while Ellie Thomas notched 10 digs. Alex Marchyshyn dished out 20 assists, and Shannon Hunzicker distributed 17 assists to go along with nine digs. As a team, the Lions hit .217 (42-14-129) in the match.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, when they visit Cornell (7-13, 3-6 Ivy) for a 4 p.m. match. Yale defeated the Big Red, 3-1, in New Haven earlier this season. Cornell took on Brown Friday night.

Report filed by Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity