VOLLEYBALL: Elis soar with victories against UPenn and Princeton
Yale’s Volleyball team showcased determination and teamwork over the weekend, clinching impressive 3–1 victories against the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University.
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This past weekend, the Yale Volleyball team earned two hard-fought 3–1 victories against Ivy League rivals the UPenn Quakers and Princeton Tigers.
In the match against UPenn, the Bulldogs displayed their tenacity and skill. Although they dropped the first set 23-25, the Elis quickly regrouped to win the next three consecutive sets 25-21, 25-14 and 25-15 to deliver a crushing blow to the Quakers.
In Philly, a handful of Bulldogs achieved personal records. Outside hitter Payton Bryan ’27 had a record-high feat of 15 kills. Setter Carly Diehl ’25 added another 54 assists to her ongoing record and surpassed the 3,000 assist mark for her Yale career. Right-side hitter Betsy Goodenow ’27 had a match-high 16 kills and ten digs for her sixth double-double for the season.
“It’s been really nice to settle back into conference play this year.” said setter Halle Sherlock ’26. “Starting off 3–0 in conference play is definitely a great feeling. Penn and Princeton are both talented teams, so we were happy to come out with two wins this weekend.”
The following day, the Elis left Philadelphia and traveled to New Jersey to face the Tigers on their home court. The team started strong with a 25–22 win in their first set but lost their momentum in the second set falling to Princeton 19–25. The Bulldogs barked back and clinched the next two sets, delivering another 3–1 loss to an Ivy rival.
Bryan broke the record she set just a day before and had a career-high 19 kills. The fourth set, where the Bulldogs won 28-26, featured seven ties before Yale prevailed with two consecutive points — a kill from middle blocker Laurece Abraham ’27 and an attack error on the Tiger’s side.
“Winning against Penn and Princeton was a big boost for us, and we’re feeling pumped for the rest of the season,” said Abraham.
As they celebrate this weekend’s successes, the Bulldogs are also looking to refine their strategies for upcoming matches this month in the Ivy League Conference.
Head Coach Erin Appleman emphasized the importance of remaining disciplined amid the long season.
“We have only played 3 Ivys, we still have 4 more to go just for the first round,” said Appleman. “We are trying to get ourselves better all the time, trying to improve everyday, working hard, getting ready. Payton Byron was Ivy Player of the week, our third sophomore in a row which was very exciting. I feel like we have a really good balanced attack.”
The Bulldogs will continue their Ivy League campaign this weekend at home against the Cornell Big Red and the Columbia Tigers.