MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #17: Cornell at Colgate
MATCH TIME: Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Cotterell Court (Hamilton, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 53-26-1
LAST MEETING: Colgate won, 3-2, on Sept. 18, 2010
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-14); Colgate (7-11)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/colgate/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.gocolgateraiders.com/showcase/#liveevents

THE MATCH UP: The Big Red volleyball team steps out of conference play for a midweek matchup with instate rival Colgate at Cotterell Court on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Cornell (2-14) has dropped its last nine outing, while the Raiders four of their last six outings to improve to 7-11 overall. Both live stats and live video streaming will be available at www.GoColgateRadiers.com.

THE SERIES VS. COLGATE: The Big Red has a history of success against the Raiders, holding a 53-26-1 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1972, the very first season of varsity volleyball in Cornell history. The Raiders currently hold a four-match winning streak in the series with the Big Red's last victory coming during the 2005 season.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS: Colgate defeating Bucknell in Patriot League action last weekend to improve to 7-11 overall. The Raiders are led by Lindsay Young's 3.55 kills per game and Kaylee Dougherty's 2.25 kills per set, while Kenzi Hume leads the team with a .270 hitting percentage (92-27-241). Setter Kaylee Fifer is handing out 9.03 assists per set and libero Caitlin Cremin is registering 3.70 digs per set. 

LAST TIME VS. COLGATE: The Big Red dropped the final game of the Colgate Invitational to the host Raiders, 3-2. Cornell won the first two sets, before dropping the final three to Colgate. Game scores were 25-20, 25-21, 12-25, 21-25, 15-9. The Big Red's Jordan Reeder ran the offense, handing out 39 assists. Janel Forte registered 11 kills, while Alice Cope tallied nine. Cope also had the best hitting percentage (.389) of the day for Cornell, going 9-for-18 with just two errors. Libero Risa Ka'awa posted a match-high 19 digs, while Erin Mccarthy registered 11. Colgate was led by three players – Kaylee Dougherty, Casey Ritt and Maureen McCarthy – with 12 kills apiece. Kaylee Fifter and Blaire Safir split the setting duties with 24 and 19 assists, respectively. Devon Applegate finished the day with 14 digs.

VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Big Red is 85-37-1 against the current members of the Patriot League, thanks mostly to a 53-26-1 record over Colgate. Cornell also has a winning record against Army (6-1), Bucknell (11-1), Holy Cross (4-0), Lafayette (4-1) and Lehigh (5-2). The Big Red's series with Navy is tied at 2-2, while American is the only team in the Patriot League with a winning record against Cornell (4-0).

MOVING ON UP: Several Big Red players are steadily making their way up the Cornell career record lists. Senior setter Jordan Reeder ranks eighth all-time in career assists (1798) and 17th overall in career digs (730). She needs just 54 more assists to move into seventh place and 22 more digs to move into 16th place. Senior Risa Ka'awa is 10th all-time in career digs (901) and needs just 20 more to move into 9th place, while senior Madeleine Przybyl is 18th overall in career block assists (147) and needs just nine more to move into 17th place.

IN THE BLOCKING RANKS: Cornell is ranked fourth in the Ivy League in blocks (1.97 per set) with junior Alice Cope ranking second in the conference with 1.21 blocks per set.

PRZYBYL POWERING UP: Senior middle blocker Madeleine Przybyl has been on a tear lately, registering double-digit kills in each of the Big Red's last six matches after registering more than 10 kills just once through the first 10 matches of the season. Through those first 10 matches, Przybyl averaged 1.8 kills per set while hitting just .129 (55-33-171). Over the past six matches, she has recorded 3.24 kills per set and she also has a team-best .286 hitting percentage (81-29-182).

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM: The Big Red showed some great balance through the first three weekends of the season with three different players earning all-tournament team honors. Sophomore outside hitter Janel Forte was named to the Cornell Invitational All-Tournament team after leading the Big Red over the course of four matches with a .250 hitting percentage and 2.54 kills per set. The following weekend, senior rightside hitter Meagan Tatum was named to the VCU Invitational All-Tournament team. Tatum posted 2.75 kills per set and finished with 1.0 blocks per set. In the final tournament of the season, senior setter Jordan Reeder earned All-Tournament team honors at the Blue and White Classic with 8.55 assists per set.

SEASON OPENERS: Cornell is 27-12-1 all-time in season openers. Since 1995, the Big Red is an impressive 14-3 in the first match of the season.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Seniors Risa Ka'awa, Madeleine Przybyl and Meagan Tatum have been named captains for the 2011 season

FRESH FACES: The Big Red adds four freshmen to the team this season - Sarah Hunt (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Sarah Okey (Clarksville, Md.), Kelly Reinke (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Natasha Rowland (Palm Harbor, Fla.). The group is well-balanced, consisting of a middle blocker, an outside hitter, a setter and a libero. The incoming class also draws from three different states, with the group representing Florida, Illinois and Maryland.

HI! MY NAME IS … : There is a new face on the Cornell sideline, as Patrick Lynch joins Coach Sarah Bernson's staff as an assistant coach. He joins the staff while pursuing an MBA in Cornell's Johnson School of Management. Lynch had a four-year career with the University of Illinois men's volleyball club team. During his time with the Fighting Illini, he also spent three seasons as a volunteer assistant for the nationally ranked women's varsity program. After graduating in 2004 with a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology, Lynch became an Infantry Officer with the 1st Marine Division where he led over 300 combat missions in Iraq and was awarded the Navy Commendation and Navy Achievement Medals for actions in combat. Lynch went on to become a Training Officer and eventually an Operations Officer at the Camp Fuji Training Center in Shizouka, Japan.

UP NEXT: The Big Red returns to conference play this weekend with a road trip to Harvard and Dartmouth. Cornell will face the Crimson on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m., before taking on the Big Green on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m.