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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Columbia
October 01, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
PRINCETON, N.J. — The Princeton University women's volleyball team looks to build on the momentum from a reverse-sweep victory over Penn last Friday in the Ivy opener when it hosts a pair of Empire State foes—Columbia and Cornell—at Dillon Gym on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m.) to continue a five-match homestand.
The Tigers (3-6 overall) are 1-0 to begin Ivy play for the second consecutive season, while the Lions come to Old Nassau at 0-1 and the Big Red at 1-0.
Match Coverage
Princeton vs. Columbia - ESPN+ | Live Stats
Princeton vs. Cornell - ESPN+ | Live Stats
Won and Whoa!
You couldn't have scripted a more dramatic start to the Ivy League slate for Princeton in a five-set thriller over rival Penn last Friday night at Dillon Gym. The Quakers, who had come into the Garden State with a 9-2 overall record, got out to a quick two-set lead following a dominant 25-14 victory in the second. The Tigers would not be denied, however, rallying back from a 2-0 deficit to take Sets 3 and 4 before gutting out a 17-15 final in the fifth. Ava Harrington (17 kills, 4 aces) and Erin McNair (15 kills) led Princeton's attack, while Ashtyn Sims and Shelby Burriss added 11 kills each. Sydney Draper finished with 46 assists, becoming the sixth player in program history to eclipse 3,000 career assists.
Player of the Week!
Harrington took home Princeton's first weekly honors of the season by being named Ivy League Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon. Her career-high and match-best 17 kills helped the Tigers get past Penn in five sets last Friday to open Ancient Eight action. She also added nine digs, two block assists, and a match-high four service aces.
The Bold Standard
Senior libero Sydney Bold has been an important asset for the Tigers defensively this season, and had herself a career performance in last Friday's victory over Penn. She registered a career-high 28 digs against the Quakers, five more than her previous mark of 23 back on Nov. 10, 2023 against Dartmouth. Bold ranks fifth among Ivy League players in total digs (117) and digs per set (3.34) overall and first in both categories in conference play.
Draper as the Difference Maker
The 2023 Rookie of the Year and 2025 Ivy League Player of the Year is sixth in the Princeton record books for Most Assists in a Career (3007). She became the sixth player in program history to eclipse 3,000 career assists following a 46-assist performance against Penn on Sept. 25. Draper is now 432 behind Bailey Robinson (2006-08) for fifth all-time at 3439.
Princeton Stat Leaders
Kills: Erin McNair (83)
Kills/set: Erin McNair (2.68)
Attack Pct.: Shelby Burriss (.348)
Assists: Sydney Draper (311)
Service aces: Ava Harrington (10)
Total blocks: Jackie Onyechi (32.0)
Solo blocks: Jackie Onyechi (5)
Block assists: Jackie Onyechi (27)
Digs: Sydney Bold (117)
Digs/set: Sydney Bold (3.34)
Among Ivy League Leaders
Overall, Draper has surged toward the top of the Ivy leaderboard in assists, currently ranked second in digs (311) and digs per set (8.89). Bold ranks fifth in digs (117) and digs per set (3.34), while Burriss is fifth in attack percentage (.348). Despite not tallying a block against Penn last Friday, Jackie Onyechi's 1.10 block per set average is good for seventh, and 32 total blocks are eighth.
In conference play following one Ivy contest, Bold is first in digs (28) and digs per set (5.60) while Harrington ranks first in service aces (4) and aces per set (0.80). Draper's 46 assists were an Ivy-best total last week, while her 9.20 set average ranks third.
Scouting Columbia
The Lions come into the weekend with a 6-4 overall record, but fell to Cornell in their Ivy League opener by a score of 3-0. Despite the defeat, Elena Maynulet tied for a match-high 14 kills.
Maynulet is the only Columbia hitter with more than 100 kills to begin the year, currently slotted at 109, which ranks fifth overall among Ivy players. The Lions' leading hitter has been Danica Nordlicht, hitting .346 over 24 sets. Clara You (187 assists) and Claire Mo (163) have been the team's leading assist-getters, while Yu's 23 service aces are second in the conference.
Defensively, Delaney Seaman has a team-leading 115 digs (3.03 per set), while Columbia has four players over 20 total blocks: Nordlicht (28.0), Avery Jones (23.0), Charlotte Gravlee (22.0), and Maria Happ (20.0).
Last season, Princeton swept Columbia in both matches and have won 15-in-a-row dating back to Nov. 3, 2017.
Scouting Cornell
The Big Red got Ivy play started with a 3-0 sweep of Columbia on Friday at Newman Arena, backed by a 14-kill effort from Mackenzie Parsons. In the victory, Cornell hit .412 as a team and improved to 5-5 overall. Parsons made just one error in her performance, hitting an astounding .619, adding two blocks and two digs. Mary Wolcott (20) and Mikayla Gray (17) combined for 37 assists, while Sara Pomar led the back row with 14 digs.
Parsons ranks second on the team in kills (103) behind Ava Bogan (104), but has a team-leading 2.78 kills per set average. Bogan also leads the Big Red with a .415 attack percentage. Wolcott has a team-leading 277 assists (7.49 per set), and is tied with Kiran Rio with nine service aces.
Pomar's 119 digs are a defensive-high for Cornell, averaging 3.50 per set. Bogan leads all Ivy players with 70.0 total blocks and a 1.79 blocks per set average. She's also tallied 19 solo blocks, which is also a conference best. The Big Red lead the Ancient Eight with a 2.87 blocks per set mark as a team, and are second in total blocks (112.0) behind Dartmouth (114.0).
Princeton and Cornell split the season series in 2025, with the Tigers sweeping the second meeting and the Big Red taking the first at Dillon Gym.
Championship Tradition
The Tigers won their 21st Ivy League title in program history in 2025, finishing Ivy play with a 11-3 record. Princeton's 21 Ivy titles are the most of any Ivy program.
Head Coach Sabrina King
King is in her 15th season as head coach at Princeton. She has guided the Tigers to seven Ivy League titles, four NCAA Tournament appearances and has been named Ivy Coach of the Year three times. Throughout her tenure as head coach, King has coached six Ivy League Players of the Year and 52 All-Ivy honorees. A member of the Class of 2001 at Princeton, she won three Ivy titles as a player, was the 1999 Ivy Player of the Year and was a three-time All-Ivy selection.
