
Photo by: Kayleigh Halasz
Volleyball Falls at Yale to Begin Ivy Play
9/27/2025 9:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Brown volleyball (5-5, 0-1 Ivy) dropped its Ivy League opener at Yale (5-4, 1-0 Ivy) in a tough four-set battle on Saturday (Sept. 27). Only one set was decided by more than three points with the Bulldogs winning 25-19, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22.
Sophia Wolfson led Brown with 14 kills, matching her career-high and giving the sophomore three-straight double-digit kill matches. Mariia Sidorova was second on the team with 13 kills and Ally Panzloff added 12. Julia Kakkis finished the night with 32 assists.
On defense, Jessie Golden posted a season-high 28 digs, finishing one shy of her career-best. Sidorova had her first double-double of the season and 13th of her career, adding 12 digs. Wolfson led the net defense with six blocks. Elizabeth Sessa and Sarah Sahw each had four.
Brown's offense hit just .110 on the night, the second-lowest mark of the season. Yale finished the night hitting .161.
The Bears fell behind early in set one 11-4 after a 3-0 Yale run. Brown cut the lead to one after a kill by Wolfson at 15-14 but the Bears would never get closer than two the rest of the way.
Down 14-10, Brown used a 4-0 run with a kill and block by Wolfson to tie the set at 14. Yale responded winning six of the next seven points but Brown was not done with kills by Sidorova and Panzloff to pull the Bears within one. Back-to-back kills by Sidorova tied the set at 23 and the Bears fought off one set point at 24-23 but two-straight points by the Bulldogs made it 2-0 in the match.
Kills by Wolfson and Sidorova made it 7-2 Bears early in the third set. The Bears fell behind after a run by Yale but kills by Shaw and Wolfson tied the set 21-21. With Yale up 23-21, Brown scored the final four points after an error, two kills by Panzloff and an ace by Yuna Yang to keep the match alive.
Set four stayed close with the score margin never getting wider than three until Yale took a 13-9 lead. Brown got the score to within one multiple times but Yale opened a five-point lead at 21-16. Down three, Brown got a kill by Shaw and back-to-back kills by Wolfson to make it 23-22 but the Bulldogs scored the next two points to end the match.
UP NEXT
Brown will stay on the road next weekend as the Bears will make the trip to Princeton (Oct. 3) and Penn (Oct. 4)
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the backbone of our athletics program, playing a crucial role in enhancing the student-athlete experience. This is possible through philanthropic support from our alumni, parents, fans, and friends. Your gift through the Sports Foundation can immediately impact today's Brown Bears, helping them excel in the classroom, in competition, and, most importantly, in the community. Please click here to learn more about how you can support the Bears.
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Sophia Wolfson led Brown with 14 kills, matching her career-high and giving the sophomore three-straight double-digit kill matches. Mariia Sidorova was second on the team with 13 kills and Ally Panzloff added 12. Julia Kakkis finished the night with 32 assists.
On defense, Jessie Golden posted a season-high 28 digs, finishing one shy of her career-best. Sidorova had her first double-double of the season and 13th of her career, adding 12 digs. Wolfson led the net defense with six blocks. Elizabeth Sessa and Sarah Sahw each had four.
Brown's offense hit just .110 on the night, the second-lowest mark of the season. Yale finished the night hitting .161.
The Bears fell behind early in set one 11-4 after a 3-0 Yale run. Brown cut the lead to one after a kill by Wolfson at 15-14 but the Bears would never get closer than two the rest of the way.
Down 14-10, Brown used a 4-0 run with a kill and block by Wolfson to tie the set at 14. Yale responded winning six of the next seven points but Brown was not done with kills by Sidorova and Panzloff to pull the Bears within one. Back-to-back kills by Sidorova tied the set at 23 and the Bears fought off one set point at 24-23 but two-straight points by the Bulldogs made it 2-0 in the match.
Kills by Wolfson and Sidorova made it 7-2 Bears early in the third set. The Bears fell behind after a run by Yale but kills by Shaw and Wolfson tied the set 21-21. With Yale up 23-21, Brown scored the final four points after an error, two kills by Panzloff and an ace by Yuna Yang to keep the match alive.
Set four stayed close with the score margin never getting wider than three until Yale took a 13-9 lead. Brown got the score to within one multiple times but Yale opened a five-point lead at 21-16. Down three, Brown got a kill by Shaw and back-to-back kills by Wolfson to make it 23-22 but the Bulldogs scored the next two points to end the match.
UP NEXT
Brown will stay on the road next weekend as the Bears will make the trip to Princeton (Oct. 3) and Penn (Oct. 4)
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the backbone of our athletics program, playing a crucial role in enhancing the student-athlete experience. This is possible through philanthropic support from our alumni, parents, fans, and friends. Your gift through the Sports Foundation can immediately impact today's Brown Bears, helping them excel in the classroom, in competition, and, most importantly, in the community. Please click here to learn more about how you can support the Bears.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on X and @BrownU_Bears on Instagram. Like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
Team Stats
BRN
Yale
Kills
49
54
Errors
32
28
Attempts
155
161
Hitting %
.110
.161
Points
62.0
71.0
Assists
45
52
Aces
3
6
Blocks
10
11
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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