MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #23: Cornell vs. Dartmouth
MATCH TIME: Friday, Nov. 4, 2011; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 36-11
LAST MEETING: Dartmouth won, 3-0, on Oct. 15, 2011
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (4-18, 2-8); Dartmouth (13-8, 5-5)
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.internetconsult.com/cornell/wvball/

MATCH #24: Cornell vs. Harvard
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011; 5:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 35-18
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 3-1, on Oct. 14, 2011
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (4-18, 2-8); Harvard (11-9, 4-6)*
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.internetconsult.com/cornell/wvball/

* Records prior to Friday, Nov. 4

THE MATCH UP: The Big Red will play its final home games of the season this weekend as it welcomes Dartmouth and Harvard to Newman Arena on Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5, respectively. Cornell will face the Big Green at 7 p.m., while the game with the Crimson is slated to begin at 5 p.m. The game against Harvard will also be the Big Red's Senior Day celebration as Cornell honors Risa Ka'awa, Madeleine Przybyl, Jordan Reeder and Meagan Tatum.

THE SERIES VS. DARTMOUTH: Cornell's series with Dartmouth began in 1981 and the Big Red has dominated from the beginning, winning the first 13 meetings before falling to the Big Green for the first time on Oct. 12, 1996. Cornell owns a 36-11 record in the all-time series, winning 19 of the last 24.

SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN: Dartmouth had a three-game winning streak snapped last weekend when it fell to Penn, 3-2, to slip to 13-8 overall and 5-5 in the Ivy League. The Big Green has a trio of big hitters up front with Madeline Baird averaging 3.61 kills per set while Alex Schoenberger and Annie Villanueva average 2.84 and 2.76 kills per set, respectively. Villanueva also ranks first in the Ivy League with an impressive .368 hitting percentage (218-46-467). The Dartmouth setting duo of Alissa Santa Maria and Kendall Houston are handing out 9.07 and 8.12 assists per set, respectively, and libero Amber Bryant is averaging 4.41 digs per set.

LAST TIME VS. DARTMOUTH: After picking up its first Ivy League win of the season the previous evening, the Big Red was nipped by Dartmouth, falling 3-0, in Leede Arena in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green earned the straight-set victory: 25-19, 25-22, 25-17. Cornell was led by Kelly Marble, who posted team highs in kills (10) and hitting percentage (.269). Madeleine Przybyl and Janel Forte also chipped in eight and seven kills respectively, while Rachel D'Epagnier tallied six kills and a match-high five block assists. Freshman setter Kelly Reinke had 20 assists and eight digs, while senior setter Jordan Reeder posted an 18-assist, 15-dig double-double. Senior libero Risa Ka'awa had a team-high 17 digs. Dartmouth had a trio of players – Madeline Baird (14), Annie Villanueva (11) and Meghan Cooney (11) – finish with double digit kills. Setter Alissa Santa Maria posted 36 assists and libero Amber Bryant tallied 18 digs.

THE SERIES VS. HARVARD: Cornell and Harvard first met in 1977, a 2-0 Big Red victory. Cornell went on to win the next 10 contests before the Crimson earned its first win in the series during the 1988 campaign. The Big Red had won nine straight meetings, dating back to Oct. 9, 2004, before Harvard earned a series sweep the past two seasons. Cornell won the first match this season and holds a significant lead in the all-time series, leading the Crimson 35-18.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON: Harvard split a pair of conference games last weekend, defeating Penn before falling to Princeton to slip to 11-9 overall and 4-6 in the Ivy League. The Crimson have three players averaging more than 2.00 kills per set, led by Taylor Doctor's standard of 3.03, while Teresa Skelly has a team-best .281 hitting percentage (157-40-417). Setter Beth Kinsella is handing out 8.89 assists per game and libero Christine Wu ranks second in the conference and 18th in the nation with 5.49 digs per set.

LAST TIME VS. HARVARD: The Big Red snapped a 10-match skid and earned its first Ivy League win of the season when it defeated Harvard, 3-1, on Oct. 14 at the Malkin Athletic Center in Cambridge, Mass. Cornell got off to a slow start, falling 25-12 in the first set, but rallied back with three straight victories, 25-18, 25-17, 25-18, to end a four-match losing streak to the Crimson. Cornell had three players register double-digit kills, led by Kelly Marble with 14, while Madeleine Przybyl and Rachel D'Epagnier finished with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Freshman setter Kelly Reinke posted a 16-assist, 13-dig double-double and senior setter Jordan Reeder tallied 23 assists. The Big Red was outstanding defensively with 90 team digs, thanks to six players with more than 10 digs on the evening. Libero Risa Ka'awa led the way with 21 digs, while Natasha Rowland and Przybyl finishedwith 13 apiece. Marble and Janel Forte also had 10 digs. Harvard was led by Taylor Doctor's 14 kills, while Natalie Doyle registered 33 assists. Libero Christine Wu had a match-high 23 digs and Christine Casey finished with 17.

SENIOR DAY: The game against Harvard will serve as the Big Red's Senior Day celebration as Cornell honors Risa Ka'awa, Madeleine Przybyl, Jordan Reeder and Meagan Tatum in their final home game at Newman Arena.

Risa Ka'awa (Tri-Captain, Libero, Honolulu, Hawaii)
After spending two seasons as the team's defensive specialist, Ka'awa became the squad's libero last season and has played every match since. She currently ranks seventh all-time in Big Red history for career digs (1028) and needs just 50 more to move into sixth place. She has reached double-digit digs in 42 matches during her career, including a current streak of 14 straight, and has posted more than 20 digs 16 times, including a career-high 31 last weekend against Brown.

Madeleine Przybyl (Tri-Captain, Middle Blocker, Christchurch, Va.)
Przybyl has been an integral part of the Big Red offense and defense for the past two seasons. She finished last year ranking first on the team and seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.281), and first on the team, ninth in the league, with 0.89 blocks per game. She was also second on the team in kills per set (1.96) and finished with 0.95 digs per game. This year, she ranks first on the team in kills per set (2.47) and second overall in hitting percentage (.204). Defensively, she's third on the team in blocks per set (0.70) and averages 2.13 digs per set. For her career, Przybyl is 16th overall in Cornell history for career block assists (161).

Jordan Reeder (Setter, Zephyr Cove, Nev.)
Reeder took over the starting setter duties during her sophomore season and she has led the team offense ever since. She ranks seventh all-time in career assists (1899) and 15th overall in career digs (797). After ranking fifth in the Ivy League the past two seasons for assists per set, Reeder has transformed into an all-around player this year, as splitting the setting duties has also allowed her to see time as a hitter for the Big Red. She currently averages 6.03 assists per game and 2.64 digs per game.

Meagan Tatum (Tri-Captain, Right Side, Roxboro, N.C.)
Tatum has struggled through injuries and position changes through her career with the Big Red, but she is a motivational force and optimistic presence in the gym, as she has served as a team captain in each of the past two seasons. This season has been her best yet, as she has seen action in 21 matches, playing in 69 sets overall. Tatum is averaging 1.90 kills per set to go along with 0.70 blocks per set. 

MOVING ON UP: Several Big Red players are steadily making their way up the Cornell career record lists. Senior setter Jordan Reeder ranks seventh all-time in career assists (1899) and 15th overall in career digs (797). She would need 261 more assists to move into sixth place and 59 more digs to move into 15th place. Senior Risa Ka'awa is seventh all-time in career digs (1028) and needs just 50 more to move into sixth place, while senior Madeleine Przybyl is 16th overall in career block assists (161) and needs 28 more to move into 15th place.

IN THE BLOCKING RANKS: Cornell is ranked fourth in the Ivy League in blocks (2.06 per set) with sophomore Rachel D'Epagnier ranking second in the conference with 1.16 blocks per set.

DIG 'EM: The Big Red ranks first in the Ivy in digs per game with 18.41 per set.

PRZYBYL POWERING UP: Senior middle blocker Madeleine Przybyl has been on a tear lately, registering double-digit kills in eight of the Big Red's last 12 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 12 matches, she has recorded a team-best 2.89 kills per set and is also one of the most consistent hitters on the team with a .243 hitting percentage (133-52-333).

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 wraps up its season on the road next weekend as it travels to Princeton and Penn on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12, respectively. The game against the Tigers is scheduled for 7 p.m., while the game against the Quakers is slated for 5 p.m.