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Yale Wins Ivy Volleyball Title
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Courtesy: Yale Sports Publicity
PRINCETON, N.J. - After winning a five-set thriller
at Penn on Friday night, the Yale volleyball team went into Saturday's match
with Princeton needing a win to clinch the Ivy League Title outright. The Tigers,
the defending champions, needed a win to keep their hopes of sharing the title
with the Bulldogs alive. After three back-and-forth sets, the scoreboard read
3-0 in favor of Yale, who captured their third Ivy League Title in program history.
Yale previously won an outright title in 1978 and shared the Ivy crown with
Cornell, Harvard and Princeton in 2004.
The Bulldogs, winners of 15 of their last 16 matches, improved to 19-4 overall
and 13-1 in the Ivy League, the team's best Ancient Eight record since the league
switched to a 14-match format in 2001. Princeton fell to 17-4 overall and 11-2
in league contests.
"We played like champions," said Yale Head Coach Erin Appleman, who claimed
her second Ivy crown in her sixth season with the Bulldogs. "This match couldn't
have been any closer, but we showed a lot of heart in earning the win."
Yale was led by the pair of juniors that fronted the offensive effort all season:
Alexis Crusey and Cat Dailey. Crusey tallied 16 kills and a match-best 20 digs.
Dailey led all players with 19 kills and added 12 digs. Freshman Bridget Hearst
tallied seven kills, junior Laurel Johnson notched six and senior Ally Mendenhall
finished with two kills.
Mendenhall, the captain of the 2008 Bulldogs, also ran the offense to the tune
of a match-best 39 assists. Sophomore libero Kelly Ozurovich led the way defensively
with 21 digs.
Though the match will go down as a sweep, the Bulldogs definitely worked overtime
en route to claiming the Ivy League crown. The first two sets of the match both
went to extra points, with Yale claiming each frame by a score of 28-26. The
first set consisted of 13 ties and four lead changes, while the second set included
two lead changes and nine deadlocks.
With the Ivy title in their grasp, the Bulldogs maintained their intensity heading
into the third set. Yale held a convincing 17-10 advantage, but the Tigers proved
why they are the defending Ivy League Champions, closing the gap to only two
points at 23-21. A kill from Crusey pushed the match to championship point and,
after a Princeton kill, Cat Dailey slammed a finisher to wrap up the Ivy League
Title for the Bulldogs.
Dillon Gymnasium was jam-packed with 418 spectators, including a large Yale
contingent. The athletic department scheduled a complimentary student bus that
brought fellow Bulldogs to Princeton to witness the historic match.
"We owe a lot to our fan support throughout the season, and especially tonight,"
said Appleman of the raucous crowd. "The athletic department showed great support
for our program."
Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Parker Henritze led Princeton with 14
kills. Setter Bailey Robinson distributed 35 assists, and Hillary Ford led the
Tigers with 17 digs.
Before the NCAA Tournament field is announced on Nov. 30, the Bulldogs will
play a pair of matches in the Golden State. Yale travels to nationally-ranked
San Diego on Tuesday, Nov. 25, and treks to Los Angeles for a Nov. 29 match
at Loyola Marymount.
