VOLLEYBALL: Bulldogs to continue Ivy League play in the Empire State
On Friday, the women’s volleyball team will take on Columbia in New York City before heading to Cornell for a Saturday game.
Yale Athletics
The Yale women’s volleyball team (6–5, 2–1 Ivy) will take on Columbia (2–11, 0–3 Ivy) and Cornell (8–5, 3–0 Ivy) on the road over the weekend.
The Columbia Lions came into this season ranked No. 8 in the Ivy League volleyball preseason poll. So far in 2025, the Lions have lost all three of their conference matches in three sets but have put up good fights in each.
Against Cornell, they kept the scores close but were unable to take a set, losing 20-25, 23-25 and 24-26. The Lions also played a tight game against Dartmouth (4–9, 1–2 Ivy), ultimately losing 12-25, 24-26 and 28-30.
All time, Yale women’s volleyball has a 32–2 record against Columbia. Last season’s meeting in New York ended in a 3-1 win for Yale. In that matchup, the Lions put up a good fight in the first two sets, losing the first 25-27 and winning the second 25-23. Going against a team that is scrappy and fights for every point, the Bulldogs’ fighting spirit will be tested.
“Every point should be taken with importance,” Arya Jue ’27 wrote to the News. “Come out swinging instead of allowing other teams to get warm before we do.”
Four teams in the Ivy League currently have a 2–1 conference record, with Cornell being the only one that remains undefeated in conference play. Although they entered the 2025 campaign ranked No. 4 in the Ivy preseason poll, the Big Red have won every Ivy League game this season in three sets, defeating Columbia, Harvard (3–8, 2–1 Ivy) and Dartmouth.
The Bulldogs have an all-time 32–3 record against Cornell. Last season, the two teams met twice during the regular season and then once more in the semifinals of the postseason tournament. Yale swept the Big Red at home, winning 3-0, but lost 2-3 in Ithaca. In their semifinal matchup, the Bulldogs dropped the first set before winning the next three, and they led the game in every statistical category.
“We have trust in our practice and preparation, and we just need to play together and execute,” Ava Poinsett ’29 wrote to the News.
As the Bulldogs go into their second straight weekend of away games, they “need to play at a level that’s high,” head coach Erin Appleman said. Yale currently has a 3–0 record at home and a 2–4 away record.
The first serve will be at 7 p.m. on Friday against Columbia.