MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #15: Cornell vs. Penn
MATCH TIME: Friday, Oct. 7, 2011; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Penn leads, 35-23
LAST MEETING: Penn won, 3-0, on Nov. 6, 2010
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-12, 0-3); Penn (5-8, 1-2)
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.internetconsult.com/cornell/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/

MATCH 16: Cornell vs. Princeton
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011; 5:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads, 43-17
LAST MEETING: Princeton won, 3-1, on Nov. 5, 2010
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-12, 0-3); Princeton (10-5, 3-0)*
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.internetconsult.com/cornell/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/

* Prior to games played on Oct. 7

THE MATCH UP: The Big Red volleyball team returns home in search of its first Ivy League win of the season as it welcomes Penn and Princeton to Newman Arena. Cornell faces the Quakers on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., before taking on the Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. Both games will be available via live stats and live video streaming at www.CornellBigRed.com.

THE SERIES VS. PENN: Cornell and Penn first met in 1974, a 2-0 Big Red victory. The Quakers went on to dominate the series for the rest of the 1970s and '80s, accounting for its 35-23 all-time lead, but since 2000 the series has been much closer, with Cornell holding the 9-8 advantage.

SCOUTING THE QUAKERS: Penn has dropped four of its last five outings, picking up its lone win against Dartmouth last weekend to move its record to 5-8 overall and 1-2 in the Ivy League. The team has done well in games decided in three sets, posting a 3-1 record, but has struggled in four-set matches (2-3) and has gone winless in five-set matches (0-4). The Quakers are led by Lauren Martin's 3.37 kills per set, while Susan Stuecheli has been the squad's most reliable attacker, hitting .281 (97-33-228). Penn uses a pair of setters to get the job done with Kristen Schoonover and Meghan Connolly registering 5.90 and 5.12 assists per set, respectively. Defensively, Stuecheli is providing the Quakers with 1.02 blocks per set and libero Dani Shepherd owns a league-best 6.28 digs per set.

LAST TIME VS. PENN: The Big Red played its final road game of the 2010 season, as it fell to Penn at the Palestra, 3-0. The Quakers swept Cornell, 25-20, 25-10, 25-17. The Big Red was led by Erin McCarthy and Madeleine Przybyl with seven and six kills, respectively, while Meagan Tatum posted a team-high .571 hitting percentage with four kills and no errors on seven attempts. Setter Jordan Reeder handed out 21 assists, while libero Taylore Nieman posted 16 digs. Penn had a pair of players with double-digit kills – Lauren Martin (14) and Amanda Pacheco (10) – while three others posted double-digit digs, led by Julia Swanson with 18. Setter Megan Tryon finished with a game-high 35 assists.

THE SERIES VS. PRINCETON: Like its series with Penn, Cornell's series with Princeton also began in the 1974 season, a 2-0 Big Red victory. The Tigers have dominated the series, owning a 43-17 record against Cornell, and have won the last seven meetings.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Princeton brings a three-match winning streak into the weekend, having improved to 10-5 overall and 3-0 in the Ivy League after defeating Harvard and Dartmouth last weekend. The Tigers have a pair of hitters registering more than three kills per set – Cathryn Quinn (3.45) and Lydia Rudnick (3.09). Quinn also has a team-best .326 hitting percentage and leads the team with 1.07 blocks per set. Setter Ginny Willis averages 9.56 assists per set, while libero Hillary Ford, the younger sister of former Cornell quarterback Nate Ford '09, averages 5.32 digs per game.

LAST TIME VS. PRINCETON: Kelly Hansen had 10 kills and five blocks, but Princeton ran off easy victories in the first two sets and held off Cornell 3-1 at Jadwin Gym. The Tigers improved to 13-8 (8-2 Ivy) with the 25-18, 25-18, 19-25, 25-19 victory. Cornell's defensive intensity in the third set led to its only win of the night, limiting the Tigers to -.070 hitting and a 37 percent sideout average thanks to its dangerous blocking. Rachel D'Epagnier was in on a career-best nine blocks and added four kills. Madeleine Przybyl added nine kills, while Jordan Reeder had a double-double with 39 assists and 10 digs. Taylor Nieman posted a team-best 15 digs and Sierra Young added 12 digs. Janel Forte had eight kills while hitting .438 on the night. Princeton's Lydia Rudnick recorded 20 kills and 11 digs, while Cathryn Quinn had 14 kills. Hillary Ford had a game-high 18 digs and Michaela Venuti posted 48 assists and 10 digs.

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 (1712) and 18th overall in career digs (677). She needs just 140 more assists to move into seventh place and five more digs to move into 17th place. Senior Risa Ka'awa is 14th all-time in career digs (840) and needs just 16 more to move into 13th place, while senior Madeleine Przybyl is 18th overall in career block assists (140) and needs just 16 more to move into 17th place.

IN THE BLOCKING RANKS: Cornell is ranked fourth in the Ivy League in blocks (2.05 per set) with junior Alice Cope leading the conference (1.19 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 four games after registering more than 10 kills just once through the first nine matches of the season. Through those first nine matches, Przybyl averaged 1.8 kills per set. Over the past four matches, she has recorded 3.4 kills per set.   

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 steps out of conference play for a midweek road trip to Hamilton, N.Y., to face instate rival Colgate on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.