MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #11: Cornell vs. Binghamton
MATCH TIME: Friday, Sept. 23, 2011; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 19-7-2
LAST MEETING: Binghamton won, 3-0, on Sept. 12, 2009
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-8); Binghamton (7-9)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: http://cornellbigred.com/sports/2007/7/31/Redcasts.aspx?tab=cornellredcast

MATCH #12: Cornell vs. Columbia
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011; 5:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 46-6
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 3-2, on Oct. 2, 2010
2011 RECORDS: Cornell (2-8)*; Columbia (6-4)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: http://cornellbigred.com/sports/2007/7/31/Redcasts.aspx?tab=cornellredcast

* Prior to games played on Sept. 23

THE MATCH UP: The Big Red volleyball team returns home for the first time in three weeks as it welcomes Binghamton and Columbia to Newman Arena. Cornell faces the Bearcats on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., before taking on the Lions on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. Both games will be available via live stats at www.CornellBigRed.com, as well as through video streaming on Cornell RedCast .

THE SERIES VS. BINGHAMTON: Cornell has faced Binghamton 28 times, dominating the series at 19-7-2. However, Binghamton has won the last three meetings, winning in straight sets in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS: After losing its first five games of the season, Binghamton rebounded by going 7-4 to post an overall record of 7-9. The squad has five players averaging better than 2.00 kills per set, led by Iva Partaleva with an impressive 3.28 kills per set. Grace Vickers, who ranks third on the team with 2.27 kills per set is leading the Bearcats with a .252 hitting percentage (117-46-314). Setter Amanda Dettmann averages 8.84 assists per game and libero Xiomara Ortis leads the team with 4.15 digs per set.

VS. THE AMERICA EAST: Cornell is 38-9-2 all-time against the current members of the America East, thanks mostly to a 19-7-2 record against Binghamton. The Big Red holds a perfect record against Albany (7-0), Stony Brook (3-0) and New Hampshire (2-0) and also has a winning record against Hartford (6-1). Cornell is an even 1-1 with Providence and has never faced UMBC.

THE SERIES VS. COLUMBIA: Cornell has dominated the series with Columbia, owning a 46-6 record vs. the Lions all-time. However, the teams have split the last four meetings with the Big Red and the Lions each winning on their home courts in 2009 and 2010.

SCOUTING THE LIONS: Columbia won three of four matches last weekend to improve to 6-4 on the year. Megan Gaughn leads the Lions with 3.33 kills per set, while Savannah Fletcher is hitting .418 (26-3-55) on the season. Setter Colleen Brennan runs the offense, averaging 7.45 assists per set, while Kelsey Mussleman has chipped in 5.09 assists per set. Defensively, Cindy Chen has 3.49 digs per set behind a front line that averages 2.43 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 ninth all-time in career assists (1619) and 19th overall in career digs (647). She needs just 79 more assists to move into eighth place and 18 more digs to move into 18th place. Senior Risa Ka'awa is 15th all-time in career digs (757) and needs just nine more to move into 14th place, while senior Madeleine Przybyl is 19th overall in career block assists (127) and needs just 13 more to move into 18th place.

IN THE RANKINGS: Cornell is ranked fourth in the Ivy League in both blocks (2.04 per set) and service aces (1.26 per set). Junior Alice Cope is first in the league in blocks (1.11 per set), while sophomore Kelly Marble is third in the conference in service aces (0.37 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 opens up its first full Ivy League weekend with games at Yale and Brown. Cornell will face the Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m., before taking on the Bears on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m.