ITHACA, N.Y.—The Big Red volleyball team will look to take over sole possession of first place in the Ivy League this weekend as it plays host to Yale and Brown. Cornell will face its Ancient Eight co-leader, the Bulldogs, on Friday night, before taking on Brown on Saturday afternoon. Fans can track the action via Livestats for both matches, and live video will be available as part of Cornell REDCast.

Match #17: Cornell vs. Yale
Match Time: 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24, 2008
Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2008 Records: Cornell 6-10 (5-1 Ivy), Yale 11-4 (5-1 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 25-24
Last Meeting: Nov. 3, 2007, Cornell won 3-2 
Live Stats
Live Video

Match #18: Cornell vs. Brown
Match Time: 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2008
Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2008 Records: Cornell 6-10 (5-1 Ivy), Brown 10-8 (2-4 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 32-16
Last Meeting: Nov. 2, 2007, Brown won 3-2
Live Stats
Live Video

At the Helm
Deitre Collins-Parker, the Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball, returns for her fifth season with the Big Red. Collins-Parker has a 69-50 overall record with Cornell and has led the Big Red to three Ivy League titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.

Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale comes into the weekend with an 11-4 overall and 5-1 Ivy record. In their last match, the Bulldogs lost to Penn 3-2. Yale is led by Alexis Crusey with 3.94 kills per set and .262 hitting percentage. Ally Mendenhall sets up the Bulldogs' attack with 10.42 assists per set, and Kelly Ozurovich leads Yale's defense with 4.09 digs per set. Taylor Cramm is the Bulldogs' main threat at the net, averaging 0.95 blocks per set.

Scouting the Bears
The Bears will play at Columbia on Friday night before heading to East Hill. Spearheading the attack for Brown is Lyndsey Yess with 3.05 kills per set. She is joined by Megan Toman, who averages 2.81 kills per set. Annika Gliotte and Spencer McAndrews lead the Bears' back row with 3.60 and 3.29 digs per set, respectively. Natalie Meyers paces Brown with 9.71 assists per set, and Danielle Vaughan leads her team at the net with 0.79 blocks per set.

And the award goes to…
Emily Borman was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Tuesday after helping the Big Red to a huge Ivy sweep last weekend to move into a tie for first place in the league. In midweek play, Borman notched 16 kills at Colgate while hitting .520. For the weekend, she notched 13 kills in each match, hitting .500 and .385, respectively, against the Crimson and Big Green to average a .466 hitting percentage for the week. Borman also helped lead Cornell at the net on Saturday grabbing a match-high seven blocks against Dartmouth.

Nationally Speaking
After last weekend, Megan Mushovic ranks fifth in the nation with 5.70 digs per set this season. The Big Red as a team ranks 34th averaging 16.22 digs per set. Chattanooga's Lara Newberry holds the top spot with 6.34 digs per set. Freshman middle blocker Kelly Hansen ranks 23rd in the country with 1.29 blocks per set, and senior Emily Borman is 36th with a .368 hitting percentage.

Dig Pink
Cornell will take part in Dig Pink on Nov. 14 in its 4 p.m. match against Dartmouth. The Big Red will help raise money for the Side-Out Foundation as part of its Breast Cancer Awareness Rally. Cornell invites fans to wear pink to the match to help support the cause. Those wishing to contribute can donate the day of the event or online on the Big Red website. Proceeds are distributed among research teams focused on target therapies and molecular profiling as well as "living with cancer" organizations nationwide.
Cornell Dig Pink Site

Take Five
The Big Red has a 4-1 record in five-set matches. Last weekend Cornell picked up two 3-2 nail biter wins over Harvard and Dartmouth to move into a tie for first place in the league.

Oh What a Career…
Junior libero Megan Mushovic broke the school record for career digs on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2008. Mushovic now has 1,428. The previous record was held by Kelly Kramer with 1,356. Mushovic's 6.16 digs per set last season ranked her eighth in the nation. In her sophomore season, she also led the country in digs in a match with 50 against Harvard on Oct. 12, 2007.

Fresh Faces
The Big Red added six members to its roster with the class of 2012. The group hails from six different states and includes two outside hitters, two middle blockers, a setter and a defensive specialist.

Ivy Awards
Cornell returns two All-Ivy honorees to its roster this season. Libero Megan Mushovic earned a first-team All-Ivy nod after leading the league with 6.16 digs per set. Mushovic also earned second team honors as a rookie. Middle blocker Emily Borman led the Big Red last season with 1.08 blocks per set, which placed her fourth in the Ancient Eight, earning her second-team honors.

She's Our Captain
Senior Hilary Holland will serve as the Big Red's captain this season. Cornell's veteran setter will look to help the Big Red in all aspects of play. Holland notched a career-high 21 digs in Cornell's 3-2 win over Maine on Sept. 20 at the UConn Toyota Classic, and topped her personal best in assists with 54 at Harvard on Oct. 17.

Looking Ahead…
Cornell will play host to Binghamton in its final non-conference match of the season on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. The Big Red will hit the road next weekend, playing at Princeton Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. and at Penn on Nov. 1 at 4 p.m.