Chiefs win over Chieftains

In what will be the first of two regular season match-ups, the Cornell Chiefs Volleyball team traveled for a short-distance away game against the Lake Holcombe Chieftains, Sept. 22. Both sides fought hard, but at the end, it was the visitors who walked away with a 3-1 conference victory.

“Cornell was able to capitalize on some errors and had great servers,” said Lake Holcombe coach Beth Meddaugh.

“The match-up was everything we expected,” said Cornell coach Amy Lorenzen. “We knew going into the match that Lake Holcombe was going to be tough.

Cornell took the first two sets, 25-23 and 28-26, but Lake Holcombe turned around and came away with the third set, 25-23. The Chiefs wouldn’t give up and finished out the night with a fourth and final set, 25-19.

“The ladies were able to work together and demonstrated mental toughness in order to finish the first two very close games,” said Lorenzen. “After getting defeated in game three, they kept their attitudes positive and were even more driven to win game four.”

Junior Jayda Turchen was strong in the front row to help out Cornell, as Lorenzen says she was able to terminate the ball with her powerful swing, but also her smart tips. Seniors setters Michya Flood and Michiahah Galster pushed to get their hitters a great set.

“Our strong offense was one of the main reasons we came out on top last night,” said Lorenzen.

Senior Alyssa Helland and freshman Brooke Anderson covered the back row, not letting anything drop, and Anderson’s serves proved a challenge for Lake Holcombe receivers.

“We look forward to the next match-up with the Chieftains,” said Lorenzen.

Leading the way for Cornell, was Turchen with 10 kills and 6 digs. Helland finished with 9 digs and 2 aces, and Anderson recorded 10 digs and 5 aces.

On Holcombe’s side, senior Allison Golat-Hattamer led with 5 kills and had 7 assists, while junior Josi Elmberg ended with 33 digs.

“The girls played well and fought hard,” said Meddaugh. “I’m proud of what the team accomplished. I was happy that the team worked together and stayed right with Cornell’s scores.”