Ten years ago this week, the Cornell women’s volleyball team clinched their first outright Ivy League title since 1993. They accomplished this feat by accumulating an impressive Ivy League record of 12-2, and a record of 19-6 overall. Under the leadership of captains Whitney Fair and Kelly Kramer, this team had an astounding season that we remember on this Throwback Thursday.
A year prior to their league championship, the Big Red team had a taste of victory by finishing in an unprecedented 4-way tie for first place. In an unofficial Ivy League tournament they fell in the championship 3-2 to Yale, and watched their hope at the NCAA Tournament fall apart. However, the 2005 team was determined not to relive the same results, and they didn’t. In the final week of play, on November 16, 2005, a Brown victory over Yale clinched the Big Red’s first championship in twelve years.
Previously, the Yale Bulldogs had been the Achilles Heel for the Big Red. However, in 2005 Cornell took down Yale twice. On one occasion, the Bulldogs were only two points away from victory in the 3rd set before the Big Red came storming back to erase a five-point deficit. They ended up winning the match and taking control off the Ivy League for good.
This historic Big Red team was led by junior Elizabeth Bishop and senior Rachel Adomat. Both outside hitters had incredible years and averaged 4.88 and 3.07 kills per game, respectively. Bishop was also a force on defense as she accounted for 3.25 digs per game as well. In all Bishop’s outstanding season led her to earn AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, first team All-Northeast Region, Academic All-Ivy, Ivy League Player of the Year and first-team All-Ivy League. In all, Bishop is the most accomplished volleyball player in Cornell history as she was the only player to be an All-American (twice) and the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. In addition, she is one of eight Big Red players to earn first team All-Ivy in all four years.
Despite Bishop’s success, the 2005 Big Red team certainly was an all-around force in all facets of the game. Although they lost to Long Island University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, they are still one of the most accomplished teams in Cornell history.
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