Match #9: Cornell at Columbia
Match Time: 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2008
Site: Levien Gym (New York, N.Y.)
2008 Records: Cornell 2-7, Columbia 5-4
Series Record: Cornell leads, 43-4
Last Meeting: Sept. 27, 2008, Cornell won 3-0
Live Stats

Match #10: Cornell at Long Island
Match Time: 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2008
Site: Wellness, Recreation and Athletics Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
2008 Records: Cornell 2-7, Long Island 6-8
Series Record: Series tied, 2-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 23, 2006; Long Island won 3-1
Live Stats

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 65-47 overall record with Cornell and has led the Big Red to three Ivy League titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.

Scouting the Lions
Columbia will play Long Island on Friday before facing the Big Red on Saturday. Amalia Viti is Columbia's biggest offensive threat, averaging 4.18 kills per set with 12 aces for the season. Sarah Thompson leads her team at the net with 0.79 blocks per set, while Ellie Thomas has 3.57 digs per set for the Lions' back row. Marisa Cornejo averages 6.67 assists per set.

Taking on the Blackbirds
After taking on Columbia, Long Island will face its third-straight Ivy opponent in the Big Red. In their last match, the Blackbirds fell to Yale, 3-0. Svetlana Simic leads the Long Island offense, averaging 4.10 kills per set, while Martina Racic has 2.78. Chelsey Stanton averages 8.75 assists per set, and Jasmine Perez leads the back row with 4.14 digs per set. At the net, Long Island is led by Ashley Rice with 0.90 blocks per set.

Nationally Speaking
After last weekend, Megan Mushovic ranked fourth in the nation with 5.74 digs per set this season. Northern Arizona's Brittany Stowers holds the top with 6.29 digs per set. Her 6.16 digs per set last season ranked her eighth in the nation. In her sophomore season, Mushovic also led the country in digs in a match with 50 against Harvard on Oct. 12, 2007.

Where We Rank…
Freshman middle blocker Kelly Hansen leads the Ivy League with an average of 1.16 blocks per set, while libero Megan Mushovic holds the top spot in digs per set with 5.74. Senior Emily Borman ranks fourth with a .331 hitting percentage.

Oh What a Career…
Entering the match vs. Robert Morris, junior libero Megan Mushovic has 1,258 digs for her Big Red career. Mushovic currently ranks third in the career record books, and only needs 98 more to tie Kelly Kramer's 1,356 at the top of the list.

Fresh Faces
The Big Red added six members to its roster as 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 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.

Looking Ahead…
The Big Red will return home next weekend to play host to Penn and Princeton. Cornell will take on the Quakers at 7 p.m. on Friday night, and face off against the Tigers on Saturday at 4 p.m.