MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #8: Cornell vs. Dayton
MATCH TIME: Friday, Sept. 16, 2011; 4:30 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Alumni Arena (Buffalo, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
LAST MEETING: First Meeting
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-5); Dayton (4-5)
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.prestosports.com/buffalo
LIVE VIDEO: None

MATCH #9: Cornell at Buffalo
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011; 10:00 a.m.
MATCH SITE: Alumni Arena (Buffalo, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 14-4-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 3-0, on Sept. 16, 2006
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-5); Buffalo (5-5)*
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.prestosports.com/buffalo
LIVE VIDEO: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/buffalo.portal

MATCH #10: Cornell vs. Syracuse
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011; 5:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Alumni Arena (Buffalo, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Syracuse leads, 32-9-1
LAST MEETING: Syracuse won, 3-0 on Oct. 10, 2010
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-5); Syracuse (8-2)*
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.prestosports.com/buffalo
LIVE VIDEO: None

* Prior to games played on Sept. 16

THE MATCH UP: The Big Red volleyball team will travel to the University at Buffalo's Blue and White Classic where it will face Dayton on Friday, Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m. The next morning Cornell (2-5) will take on the host Bulls at 10:00 a.m., before wrapping up the tournament against Syracuse at 5 p.m. For more information on the Blue and White Classic, as well as links to live stats for all three games and the link for live video of Cornell's game vs. Buffalo, visit BuffaloBulls.com. http://www.buffalobulls.com/sports/wvball/2011-12/bwclassic/index

THE SERIES VS. DAYTON: Cornell has not faced the Flyers in the history of the volleyball program.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS: Dayton was nationally-ranked through the first two weeks of the season before losing five straight matches to Tennessee, No. 7 Illinois, Pepperdine, No. 24 Florida State and No. 20 Michigan. The Flyers are led by Rachel Krabacher, who averages 4.58 kills per set, while Yvonne Martin and Megan Campbell are posting 2.79 and 2.78 kps, respectively. Setter Samantha Selsky has posted 10.0 assists per set and libero Paige Vargas leads the team with an impressive 5.0 digs per set.
VS. THE ATLANTIC 10: Cornell is 10-5 all-time against the current members of the Atlantic 10. The Big Red is a perfect 3-0 against both Duquesne and La Salle and is 2-0 against Fordham. Cornell also has a winning record against Temple (2-1), but a losing mark against Charlotte (0-1) and George Washington (0-3). The Big Red has never faced Dayton, Rhode Island, Saint Louis or Xavier in volleyball.

THE SERIES VS. BUFFALO: Cornell holds a 14-4-1 advantage all-time against the Bulls in a series that began in 1974. The teams split the first three meetings with each squad winning once and tying one time. The Big Red then went on to win eight straight contests from 1979 to 1981. The series took a decade-long break and since the 1993 season Cornell has held a 5-3 edge, including winning the last two outings in 2000 and 2006.

SCOUTING THE BULLS: Buffalo defeated Niagara, 3-1, on Tuesday night to even its record at 5-5 on the season. The Bulls have a trio of players averaging nearly 3.00 kills per set – Dana Musil (2.83), Liz Scott (2.70) and Abby Niekamp (2.63). Niekamp also leads the squad with a .276 hitting percentage (100-34-239) and ranks second on the team in blocks (30). Setter Dani Reinert is averaging 10.11 assists per game and libero Kelly Svoboda leads the team with 4.29 digs per set.

VS. THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE: Cornell is 15-15-1 against the current members of the Mid-American Conference, thanks mostly to a 14-4-1 record against Buffalo. The Big Red also has a winning record against Western Michigan (1-0), but a losing mark against Akron (0-5), Bowling Green (0-1), Central Michigan (0-1) and Kent State (0-4). Cornell has never faced Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio University or Toledo.

THE SERIES VS. SYRACUSE: The Big Red has a rich history against Syracuse with their first match dating back to 1972. The Orange lead the series 32-9-1, and have won the last four meetings after the Big Red earned a 3-0 victory in 2006 at Newman Arena.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE: Syracuse won all three matches last weekend to capture the Long Island Tournament championship and improve to 8-2 on the season. The offense is led by Noemie Lefebvre with 3.30 kills per set, while Andrea Fisher is chipping in 2.08 kps. Setter Laura Homann is handing out 9.86 assists per set and defensive specialist Ashley Williams leads the team with 4.95 digs per set.

VS. THE BIG EAST: Cornell is 23-47-1 against the current members of the Big East, thanks mostly to a 9-32-1 record against Syracuse. UConn is the only team that the Big Red has a winning record against (5-2), but Cornell has an even slate against Notre Dame (1-1), Providence (1-1), Rutgers (2-2), Seton Hall (2-2) and Villanova (2-2). The Big Red has a losing record against Georgetown (1-2), Louisville (0-1) and St. John's (0-2), but has never faced Cincinnatti, DePaul, Marquette, Pittsburgh, South Florida or West Virginia.

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM: 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, 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.

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: Cornell returns home for the first time in 20 days when it welcomes Binghamton to Newman Arena on Friday, Sept. 23 for a contest at 7 p.m. The Big Red opens Ivy League play the following day as it battles Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m.