MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #16: Cornell vs. Binghamton
MATCH TIME: Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 19-8-2
LAST MEETING: Binghamton won, 3-1, Sept. 23, 2011
2012 RECORDS: Cornell (4-11); Binghamton (6-14)
Live Stats: CornellBigRed.com
Live Video: CornellBigRed.com


ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red volleyball team will play its final non-conference game of the season when it welcomes instate rival Binghamton to Newman Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Live stats and live video (pay-per-view) will be available at CornellBigRed.com.

THE SERIES VS. BINGHAMTON: Cornell has faced Binghamton 29 times, dominating the series at 19-8-2. However, Binghamton has won the last four meetings, winning in straight sets in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS: Binghamton defeated Hartford last weekend to improve to 6-14 overall and 3-2 in the America East. Iva Partaleva leads the team with 3.46 kills per set, while Kristen Hovie and Grace Vickers are at 2.96 and 2.24 kills per set, respectively. Setter Amadna Settman is averaging 9.72 assists per set and libero Xiomara Ortiz is racking up 4.38 digs per set.

LAST TIME VS. BINGHAMTON: The Big Red lost a closely fought battle with in-state rival Binghamton, falling 3-1 on Sept. 23, 2011 at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. Cornell fought back from an early deficit to win the first set, 25-23 before losing the next three to the Bearcats, 25-16, 25-22 and 25-21. Cornell got an outstanding performance from senior Madeleine Przybyl, who posted a team-high 13 kills and just one error on 25 attempts to finish with a .480 hitting percentage. She also tallied six digs, three block assists and one service ace. Joining Przybyl in double-digit kills was Janel Forte with 10. Senior setter Jordan Reeder tallied 28 assists and senior libero Risa Ka'awa posted a team-high 20 digs. Binghamton was led by Iva Partaleva's 22 kills, while Grace Vickers and Kristine Hovie finished with 17 and 11 kills, respectively. Both Partaleva (.405) and Vickers (.400) hit better than 40 percent for the match. Amanda Dettmann ran the Bearcat offense, tallying 50 assists and 10 digs for a double-double, while libero Xiomara Ortiz finished with a match-high 28 digs. Both teams finished with six blocks, but Cornell hit just .127 (43-23-158) for the match, while Binghamton finished at .280 (62-18-157).

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose is in her first season at Cornell (4-11, .267) ... Batie-Smoose became the 10th coach in Cornell volleyball history in April 2012 ... She has a 91-73 (.555) record as a head coach, including a mark of 81-43 (.653) at Savannah College of Art & Design.

FRESHMAN FIRST: Freshman Breanna Wong currently leads the Big Red with 2.89 kills per game. If she finishes the season with the most kills on the team she will be just the fourth Cornell freshman since 1987 to achieve that feat, joining Debbie Quibell (2000), Liz Bishop (2006) and Deveney Pula (2009).

YOU'VE BEEN SERVED: The Big Red currently ranks first in the Ivy League in service aces with 1.62 per set. Kelly Marble leads the conference with 0.48 per set. In all, Cornell has three players ranked in the top 10 of the Ivy League with Marble joined by Kelly Reinke (3rd – .035) and Rachel D'Epagnier (7th – 0.30)

IN THE RANKINGS: In addition to the team's outstanding serving, several Big Red players are ranked among the top 10 in several other categories.
*Rachel D'Epagnier – eighth in hitting percentage (.326)
*Breanna Wong – seventh in kills per set (2.89)
*Kelly Marble – ninth in kills per set (2.79)
*Kelly Reinke – second in assists per set (9.29)
*Rachel D'Epagnier – fourth in blocks per set (1.12)

DID YOU KNOW??:
* Sierra Young is part of Cornell's Sustainable Design group, which is working to create affordable housing in the form of a 30-house cooperative in Nicaragua.
* Breanna Wong has two different size feet. Her left foot is a women's size 9, while her right foot is a 10.5.
* Ana Vanjak is fluent in five languages (Croatian, German, English, Spanish, Latin) and working on a sixth (French).
* Brittany Kalepa was part of the Kamehameha School's Children's Choir, which recorded music for Disney's Lilo & Stitch.
* Rachel D'Epagnier runs Cornell's chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and took a sports mission to Costa Rica this past summer to teach volleyball.
* Senior setter Lucy Zheng has published two research articles and is working on a third.

FIRST WIN: Head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose earned her first win with the Big Red in a 3-2 triumph over Bucknell on Sept. 7 at Fordham's Rose Hill Classic. There was plenty to like in the victory, including the team's tenacious attack. The Big Red rallied from an 0-2 deficit for the second time in the span of six hours to force a fifth set, but this time was able to close out the win after dropping a 3-2 contest in the morning session to the host Rams.

ALL-TOURNEY TEAM:
* Rachel D'Epagnier was named to the Omni Hotel Colorado Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team. Over the course of the weekend, the junior middle blocker averaged 1.67 kills per set, while hitting a team-best .375. She also added 11 total blocks (four solo, seven assisted).
* Kelly Reinke was named to Fordham's Rose Hill All-Tournament Team. Through four games, the sophomore setter averaged 8.06 assists per set to go along with 2.28 digs per set. She also collected seven service aces and eight block assists.
* Rachel D'Epagnier was named “Best Blocker” at the Temple Invitational, while Kelly Marble earned “Best Server” honors.

SEASON OPENERS: Cornell is 27-13-1 all-time in season openers. Since 1995, the Big Red is an impressive 14-4 in the first match of the season.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Brittany Fox '14, Kelly Marble '14 and Kelly Reinke '15 have been named captains for the 2012 season.

FRESH FACES: The Big Red adds four freshmen to the team this season - Brittany-Ann Kalepa (Honolulu, Hawaii), Shannon O'Brien (Naperville, Ill.), Brittany Ward (Friendswood, Texas) and Breanna Wong (Highlands Ranch, Colo.). The group consists of two defensive specialists, a middle/outside hitter, and a rightside/outside hitter. The incoming class also draws from four different states, with the group representing Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois and Texas.

KIDS IN THE HALL: Jaimee Reynolds '02, who played both volleyball and women's lacrosse at Cornell, has been selected for induction into the Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame at the 36th annual ceremonies to be held Friday, Nov. 2 on the Cornell campus. The first four-time All-American in women's lacrosse and the third in any women's sport at Cornell, Reynolds was one of three finalists for national player of the year as a senior. Reynolds also lettered four times in volleyball and her 1,023 assists at setter in 2001 ranks among the top 10 marks in school history. She was the NCAA New York Woman of the Year and one of 10 finalists for NCAA Woman of the Year in 2002 and was a Honda Award finalist that same season.

UP NEXT: The Big Red remains at home for a pair of games this weekend, taking on Harvard on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. before facing Dartmouth on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m. The Big Red has had great success over the years against both the Crimson and the Big Green, including a sweep last season against Harvard to improve to 36-18 all-time against the Crimson and a series split with Dartmouth to move to 36-12 all-time against the Big Green.