New York, N.Y. – Both of Brown's outside hitters had 10 kills, while its libero posted a match-high 16 digs, but it was not enough as Columbia triumphed at home, 3-0 (15-25, 17-25, 23-25). Rookie Maddie Lord (La Jolla, Calif.) and sophomore Emma Pastore (Los Angeles, Calif.) each had double-digit kills while senior captain Annika Gliottone (Warwick, R.I.) retuned to the lineup for the Bears to anchor the defense.
Brown (6-15, 2-8) and Columbia (13-7, 7-3) traded points until the 6-all mark, when the Lions took control 10-4 run. The Bears were able to close the deficit to four on a Columbia error at 18-14, but the Lions regrouped and closed out the first set with a 8-1 run.
The Bears lead early in the second frame and held the lead for over half of the match, until the 15-14 mark. It was a remarkable run from the Lions that changed the course of the set, actually using a 13-2 run to close out the set.
Despite the furious second set rally and early 10-6 hole in third, the Bears continued to fight, closing to within a point of the Lions at 19-18. From there, Bruno never strayed farther than two points behind, and even when facing math point, the Bears still battled, getting a final kill from sophomore Thea Derrough (La Jolla, Calif.) before the Lions were able to close out the match.
Lord chipped in six digs in addition to her 10 kills for the match; while Gliottone added four assists to her match-high 16 digs. Sophomore setter Alexandra Rieckhoff (Laguna Beach, Calif.) double-doubled with 26 assists and 10 digs.