On Friday, the Bucs fell to Cornell in three sets at Flood Arena, losing 16-25, 9-25, and 17-25. Cornell entered the game undefeated in conference play, giving Beloit a challenging opponent. The Bucs gained some momentum early, and things looked extremely promising. The score was back and forth for the first 10 points, with one team pulling ahead by 1 point followed by the other team tying the score again. As the set continued, Cornell began to pull away as the Bucs fought to keep themselves in the set. An impressive performance came from Madeline Holthaus ’30. She had powerful serves, impressive digs, and 2 kills and 2 aces. Lilianne Bethards ’30, who had five kills for the night, also contributed to these early points.
The Bucs went down early in a difficult second set. Cornell’s offense put pressure on the Bucs’ defense, led by Ally Olmstead’28, who recorded 16 kills and 7 blocks. The Bucs were able to earn back a few points towards the end of the set, but the Cornell dominance was demonstrated clearly. Key defensive players for the Bucs included Renee Stout’29, with 7 digs, and Sofia Ekmekjian Bagarazzi’30. Even though the Bucs fought hard, the set went to Cornell.
The third set was the closest matched set of all. The Bucs had a promising start with some early points but Cornell began to come away with the lead. The Bucs responded after falling behind 3-8, keeping the deficit within 6 points for the majority of the set. Daniela Perez’30 and Naomi Murphy’27 each recorded four kills, while Aaliyah Gerard’29 contributed nine assists.
Despite the three-set loss, the Bucs showed resilience against a Cornell team that entered the match undefeated in conference play.
Featured image: Emma Danielson’30
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