ITHACA, N.Y.—The Big Red volleyball team will wrap up its season this weekend by taking on Dartmouth and Harvard in Newman Arena. Cornell plays host to a Dig Pink event on Friday night to help raise money for breast cancer research, and the Big Red asks all fans to show their support by wearing pink to the match. On Saturday, Cornell will honor its three seniors in their final match with the Big Red.
Click Here to Donate to Cornell Dig Pink
Match #24: Cornell vs. Dartmouth
Match Time: 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2008 Records: Cornell 8-15 (7-5 Ivy), Dartmouth 7-15 (3-9 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 34-7
Last Meeting: Oct. 18, 2008, Cornell won, 3-2
Live Stats
Live Video
Match #25: Cornell vs. Harvard
Match Time: 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008
Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2008 Records: Cornell 8-15 (7-5 Ivy), Harvard 9-15 (4-8 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 32-14
Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 2008, Cornell won, 3-2
Live Stats
Live Video
Saluting the Seniors
This weekend, the Big Red will honor its three seniors: Emily Borman, Hilary Holland and Kathryn Woodbury. Cornell will celebrate the trio before Saturday's match against Harvard.
Emily Borman (Middle Blocker, Tracy, Calif.)
Borman has led the Big Red throughout the season with a .353 hitting percentage. Heading into the weekend, she ranks third in the Cornell record books for hitting percentage in a season. Borman also sits tied for third in her career, hitting .315. The senior ranks fourth in the Ivy League in hitting, and takes the eighth spot in blocks against conference opponents, averaging 0.74.
Hilary Holland (Setter, Stockton, Calif.)
Serving as team captain, Holland has started for Cornell in every match this season at setter, averaging 9.56 assists per game. The senior has also proved to be a threat on the attack, hitting .289 for the season. She has hit above .400 in eight matches and recorded 13 double-doubles in assists and digs. Holland recorded a career-high 54 assists at Harvard on Oct. 17, and had a career-best 21 digs against Maine on Sept. 20. She has recorded 40 or more assists in 10 matches this season.
Kathryn Woodbury (Right Side, Amherst, N.H.)
Woodbury has started at right side for the Big Red throughout her senior season. She ranks third in blocks against Ivy League opponents, averaging 0.96 blocks per set. Last season, she broke almost all of her personal match highs and has continued that strong play in 2008. Woodbury had a season-high 11 kills while hitting an impressive .455 at Colgate on Oct. 14, and she put up nine blocks at Penn on Nov. 1.
At the Helm
Deitre Collins-Parker, the Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball, is in her fifth season with the Big Red. Collins-Parker has a 71-55 overall record with Cornell and has led the Big Red to three Ivy League titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.
Dig Pink
Cornell will take part in Dig Pink on Friday, Nov. 14, for its 6 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 at www.cornellbigred.com. Proceeds are distributed among research teams focused on target therapies and molecular profiling, as well as "living with cancer" organizations nationwide.
Click Here to Donate to Cornell Dig Pink
Scouting the Big Green
Dartmouth brings a three-match losing streak into the weekend. The Big Green is led by Madeline Baird with 3.13 kills per set and a .232 hitting percentage, and Megan MacGregor adds 2.58 kps. Kendall Houston is the main setter for Dartmouth, averaging 8.28 assists. The Big Green defense is paced by Amber Bryant with 4.23 digs per set, and Morgan Covington averages 0.94 blocks per set.
Last Time Against Dartmouth
The Big Red won its second consecutive 3-2 match by topping the Big Green the last time the two teams met earning an Ivy League weekend sweep. On Oct. 18, Dartmouth won the first set, and took an early lead in the second. The two teams were tied at 24-24, before the Big Red inched ahead to win 26-24. Cornell and Dartmouth each won another set, before the Big Red won a 15-10 fifth and deciding set. Freshman Kelly Hansen led Cornell with 14 kills, and senior Emily Borman added 13 kills with six block assists. Hansen hit .455 for the match and added four block assists. Hilary Holland totaled 45 assists with 15 digs, and Megan Mushovic recorded 17 digs. Dartmouth was led by Megan MacGregor with 16 kills, while Madeleine Baird had 12 kills and 19 digs. Amber Bryand made a match-high 22 digs.
Checking Out the Crimson
Harvard will play at Columbia on Friday before heading to East Hill on Saturday. The Crimson dropped two matches last weekend to Penn and Princeton. Anne Carroll Ingersoll leads Harvard with a .360 hitting percentage with 2.64 kills per set. She holds her team's top spot in blocks with 0.94 per set. Kathryn McKinley paces Harvard with 3.40 kps. Lily Durwood is second in the league in assists at 10.57 per set, while freshman Christine Wu averages 4.01 digs per set for the Crimson back row.
Last Time Against Harvard
The Big Red won a 3-2 nail biter at Harvard on Friday, Oct. 17, winning a 16-14 deciding fifth set. Freshman Meagan Tatum led the Big Red with 18 kills, while senior Hilary Holland registered a career-high 54 assists. Rookie Kelly Hansen made a career-high 12 block assists. Harvard was paced by Kathryn McKinley with 17 kills. Anne Ingersoll had 16 kills, while hitting .455 and added nine blocks. Katherine Kocurek led the Harvard back row with 19 digs.
Looking to Move
Cornell sits in fourth place in the Ivy League and has hopes of moving into third place this weekend. The Big Red is three wins above the fifth-place tie between Harvard and Brown. Cornell sits one win behind Penn, who holds an 8-3 Ivy record. The Quakers will play host to Yale and Brown at the Palestra this weekend.
Smarty Pants
Senior captain Hilary Holland was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic District 1 first team. Holland is the only Ivy League player that will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America honors. Majoring in applied economics and management, Holland has a 3.84 cumulative grade point average, and has had a 4.0 GPA for the last three semesters. She is a member of the Cornell Red Key Honor Society.
And the award goes to…
Emily Borman was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Oct. 21 after helping the Big Red to a huge Ivy sweep over Harvard and Dartmouth 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 5.72 digs per set this season. As a team the Big Red ranks 34th, averaging 16.35 digs per set. Chattanooga's Lara Newberry holds the top spot with 6.57 digs per set. Freshman middle blocker Kelly Hansen ranks 32nd in the country with 1.24 blocks per set, and senior Emily Borman is 49th with a .353 hitting percentage.
Oh What a Career…
Junior libero Megan Mushovic broke the school record for career digs on Saturday, Oct. 12. Mushovic now has 1,572. 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 serves 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.
