I actually did confront the individual before the event, but I tried to not be accusatory (too much) about it. I just asked if she had a problem with me because it seemed she did by some of the comments she made. She was all "WHO ME???" and I was like, ok if there is no problem that's great

I spent some time with her after that just to try to get to know her better.
It was effective because ever after that she's been kind and friendly. Confrontation need not be actually confrontational. There are good and bad ways to go about it, but in my experiences it almost always ends the conflict.
Of course it won't always work.. people are complex social creatures with their own agenda... but in the end most people are more interested in friendship than adversity. Sadly not everyone is that way... sometimes they'll create more drama just because they can, and you need to deal with it accordingly.