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Last weekend, the Yale volleyball team played their last action-packed home games of the month. The Bulldogs narrowly lost in a 3-2 game against Harvard, but won against Dartmouth in a strong performance in four sets.
Wei-Ting Shih
Journalist
muscosportsphotos.com
Despite losing a close game to Harvard (6-8-0, 4-1-0 Ivy), the Yale volleyball team (10-4-0, 3-2-0 Ivy) were able to end his weekend in style with a victory against Dartmouth (8-6-0, 0-5-0 Ivy).
The Bulldogs played the Crimsons on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Big Greens on Saturday at 5 p.m. Yale fell to Harvard in fifth-set grief after battling a two-set deficit. The Blues & Whites were able to bounce back from their loss, beating Dartmouth in a dominant performance that ended 3-1.
“The weekend obviously didn’t go as planned, but I think it showed us what aspects of the game we need to work on before we get back on the road,” wrote team captain and outside hitter Ellis. DeJardin ’22 at News. “That being said, this weekend has also shown us how good we can be when we all play together as one big unit.”
The games against Harvard and Dartmouth also marked the final weekend of home games for the Elis. Next weekend, the Bulldogs travel to New Jersey and Pennsylvania to face the Tigers and Quakers, respectively. The following away games will be between Brown, Cornell and Columbia.
“We love to play, especially in our home gym,” midfield hitter Fatima Samb ’25 wrote to News. “I think we’re all happy to have had another weekend at home before a few weekends on the road. Now we know what to work on for the next few games.
The atmosphere at the Harvard match was electric, with over 800 people rally to support the Bulldogs during the game, despite indoor attendance restrictions announced by Yale Athletics earlier this fall. The number of spectators at Friday’s game was 144 more than the last home game Yale-Harvard in 2019.
“We love to play in front of our home crowd,” outside forward Audrey Leak ’24 told The News. “The energy that our fans bring is contagious and really helps propel us through these long games.”
The Elis got off to a slow start against the Crimsons, losing the first two sets 25-14 and 25-23. However, they narrowed the gap and rallied to win the next two sets 25-20 and 25-19. The two teams were tied defensively and offensively. In the game, there was only a 0.003 difference in the teams hitting percentages. Yale also edged out Harvard by one in blocks, assists and assists, although the Crimson had more serves and digs.
The Bulldogs would try to rally once again in the middle of the final set. However, the Crimsons’ strong 6-0 start in the fifth set gave them a valuable advantage. The Elis ultimately lost the set 15-11.
“We wanted to do something exciting,” Yale volleyball head coach Erin Appleman told News of the Harvard game. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play to our potential. It was disappointing, and that’s why we lost.
Unlike the game against the Crimson, Appleman mentioned that the team “consistently [was] more prepared and ready to go ”against Dartmouth.
The Bulldogs clearly dominated the opening set with 16 kills and a 0.387 hitting percentage. Yale slipped a bit thereafter, allowing the Big Green to bounce back and take the second set 25-22. However, the Bleu et Blanc showed their resilience and attacking prowess after winning the next two sets 25-20 and 25-22.
Although the young core of the team impressed again in the weekend’s two games, the students in the upper class were formidable in their contributions. Key players included outside hitters Kathryn Attar ’22 and Bonnie Bostic ’24. Carly Diehl ’25 put in a strong performance with 88 assists, 19 kills and four serving aces throughout the weekend. Outside hitter Tiffany Pedersen-Henry ’23, center blocker Sam Bray ’23 and center hitter Samb were exceptional defensively as blockers, accumulating 18 blocks overall. Pedersen-Henry and Bray managed 29 and 13 kills respectively this weekend, while Samb registered 11 kills in Dartmouth’s lone game.
“Princeton and Penn should be really exciting,” Samb said of the weekend ahead. “They are both very good teams and playing them is going to make us even better as we approach the midpoint of the Ivy League.”
The Bulldogs are currently third in the Ivy League standings with a 3-2 conference record.
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