MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #1: Cornell vs. Siena
MATCH TIME: Friday, Sept. 3, 2010; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 4-1
LAST MEETING: Siena defeated Cornell, 3-1, on Sept. 8, 2007
2010 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0); Siena (0-3)
LIVE STATS: www.CornellBigRed.com
LIVE VIDEO: www.CornellBigRed.com

MATCH #2: Cornell vs. Saint Francis (Pa.)
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010; 11:00 a.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 10-0
LAST MEETING: Cornell defeated Saint Francis (Pa.), 3-0, on Sept. 22, 2001
2010 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0); Saint Francis (1-2)
LIVE STATS: www.CornellBigRed.com
LIVE VIDEO: www.CornellBigRed.com

MATCH #3: Cornell vs. Lamar
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
LAST MEETING: First Meeting
2010 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0); Lamar (0-3)
LIVE STATS: www.CornellBigRed.com
LIVE VIDEO: www.CornellBigRed.com

THE CORNELL INVITATIONAL: The Big Red volleyball team opens its 39th season this weekend as it hosts the Cornell Invitational, welcoming Siena, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Lamar to Newman Arena. The weekend will include a full-slate of games; beginning with Lamar vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Sept. 3 at 4:00 p.m., before Cornell takes on Siena in the nightcap at 7:00 p.m. Saturday's action kicks off with the Big Red facing the Red Flash at 11:00 a.m., before the Saints play the Cardinals at 1:00 p.m. The evening sessions begin with Saint Francis (Pa.) taking on Siena at 5:00 p.m., before Cornell wraps up the tournament against Lamar at 7:00 p.m.

THE SERIES VS. SIENA: The Big Red holds a 4-1 advantage in the series against the Saints, with the lone loss coming in the teams' last meeting, which was won by Siena, 3-1, at the Cornell Invitational on Sept. 8, 2007.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS: Siena is off to a 0-3 start to the season after dropping three matches at the Texas A&M Invitational. The Saints lost in straight sets to the host Aggies, No. 23 LSU and Pacific. Siena has been led by freshman Taylor Akana's 2.56 kills and 2.89 digs per set, while Elizabeth Ives has handed out 6.11 assists per set.

VS. THE MAAC: Cornell is 33-7 against the current members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Big Red holds a winning record against Canisius (7-1), Fairfield (2-1), Manhattan (1-0), Marist (1-0), Niagara (11-0), Rider (4-1) and Siena (4-1) and a .500 record vs. Iona (1-1) and Saint Peter's (2-2). Cornell has never faced Loyola in volleyball.

THE SERIES VS. SAINT FRANCIS (Pa.): Cornell holds a 10-0 advantage in the series with the Red Flash, a streak that was extended with the Big Red's 3-0 victory against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the Cornell Invitational on Sept. 22, 2001.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH: After opening the season with a pair of losses to Morgan State and Lehigh at the Duquesne Invitational, Saint Francis (Pa.) rebounded with a 3-1 victory on its home court over Youngstown State on Tuesday evening. The Red Flash main offensive threat comes from Lauren Wingard, who leads the team in kills per set (3.08) and hitting percentage (.358). Setter Kierstin Kiser is averaging 8.77 assists per set, while registering a team-high 3.31 digs per set.

VS. THE NEC: The Big Red is 33-9 against the current members of the Northeast Conference, thanks in large part to a 10-0 record vs. Saint Francis (Pa.). Cornell also has a winning record against Central Connecticut State (3-1), Fairleigh Dickinson (11-2), Saint Francis (N.Y.) (2-0) and Wagner (3-0). The Big Red holds a losing record vs. Long Island (2-3) and Robert Morris (2-3), but has never faced Bryant, Monmouth, Mount Saint Mary's, Quinnipiac or Sacred Heart.

THE SERIES VS. LAMAR: Saturday's game will mark Cornell's first-ever contest vs. Lamar in volleyball.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Lamar has dropped its first three matches of the season, falling to Oral Roberts, Texas-Pan American and Idaho State at the Texas-Pan American Invitational last weekend. The Cardinals are led offensively by Jayme Bazile with 2.17 kills per set and an impressive .373 hitting percentage. Kaylee Piatt has performed the majority of the setting duties and has averaged 6.92 assists per set, while and Alex Morford has chipped in 7.50 assists per set. Defensively, Kaleigh Wright is averaging a team-best 3.69 sets per set.

VS. THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE: Cornell has only played one contest against a current member of the Southland Conference, losing to Sam Houston State, 3-0, on Sept. 20, 1996.

HI! MY NAME IS … : There is a new face on the Cornell sideline, as Kate Seabaugh, a former standout player at UConn, joins Coach Sarah Bernson's staff as an assistant coach. She joins the staff while working towards a Master of Engineering degree with a concentration in Financial Engineering at Cornell. Prior to Cornell, Seabaugh was a starter for UConn, where she was an outside hitter, but completed her undergraduate honors finance degree in three years, cutting her playing career short. She helped the Huskies advance to the Big East tournament in each of her three seasons and totaled 621 kills and 625 digs in 90 matches played.

SEASON OPENERS: Cornell is 25-12-1 all-time in season openers. Since 1995, the Big Red is an impressive 12-3 in the first match of the season.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Senior Erin McCarthy and junior Meagan Tatum have been named captains for the 2010 season

FRESH FACES: The Big Red adds six freshmen to the team this season - Rachel D'Epagnier, Janel Forte, Brittany Fox, Ainsley Lovejoy, Kelly Marble and Sierra Young. All six are taller than 5-11, with two of those six standing 6-1 or taller. The incoming class also draws from six different states, with the group representing Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

UP NEXT: Cornell will travel to the Bowling Green Invitational next weekend where it will face the host Falcons on Friday, Sept. 10 at 7:00 p.m., before coming back the next day to play Oakland and IPFW at 2:00 and 4:30 p.m., respectively.