MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #8: Cornell vs. Central Connecticut State
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012; 10:00 a.m.
MATCH SITE: McGonigle Hall (Philadelphia, Pa.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 3-1
LAST MEETING: CCSU won, 3-1; Nov. 8, 1996
2012 RECORDS: Cornell (1-6); CCSU (5-5)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/temple/wvball
LIVE VIDEO: None

MATCH #9: Cornell vs. Temple
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012; 5:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: McGonigle Hall (Philadelphia, Pa.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 2-1
LAST MEETING: Temple won, 3-1, Sept. 20, 2008
2012 RECORDS: Cornell (1-6); Temple (7-4)*
LIVE STATS:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/temple/wvball
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.fansonly.com/schools/tem/allaccess/index.html

* Records prior to Sept. 14

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red volleyball team will play in its final tournament of the season, as it travels to Temple on Saturday, Sept. 15 to take on Central Connecticut State at 10 a.m., before facing Temple at 5 p.m. Cornell holds a winning record against both the Blue Devils (3-1) and the Owls (2-1). Live stats will be available for both contests at http://www.sidearmstats.com/temple/wvball, while live video of the Big Red's game vs. Temple will be available on a pay-per-view basis at http://www.fansonly.com/schools/tem/allaccess/index.html.

THE SERIES VS. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE: Cornell has played the Blue Devils four times in women's volleyball, earning a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams first met in 1984, a 2-0 victory for the Big Red, who would win three straight before CCSU earned a 3-1 victory at the 1996 Cornell Invitational.

VS. THE NORTHEAST CONFERNCE: VS. THE NEC: The Big Red is 30-10 against the current members of the Northeast Conference, thanks in large part to a 10-1 record vs. Saint Francis (Pa.). Cornell also has a winning record against Central Connecticut State (3-1), Fairleigh Dickinson (11-2) and Saint Francis (N.Y.) (2-0). The Big Red holds a losing record vs. Long Island (2-3) and Robert Morris (2-3), but has never faced Bryant, Quinnipiac or Sacred Heart.

THE SERIES VS. TEMPLE: Cornell first played the Owls in 1986, taking a 3-2 victory at the Massachusetts Invitational, and then defeated Temple again in 1992 to account for both its victories in the series. The Owls won the last meeting, 3-1, in 2008 for its only victory against the Big Red.

VS. THE ATLANTIC 10: Cornell is 10-7 all-time against the current members of the Atlantic 10. The Big Red is a perfect 3-0 against both Duquesne and La Salle.  Cornell also has a winning record against Fordham (2-1) and Temple (2-1), but a losing mark against Charlotte (0-1), Dayton (0-1) and George Washington (0-3). The Big Red has never faced Rhode Island, Saint Louis or Xavier in volleyball.

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose is in her first season at Cornell (1-6, .143) ... Batie-Smoose became the 10th coach in Cornell volleyball history in April 2012 ... She has an 88-68 (.564) record as a head coach, including a mark of 81-43 (.653) at Savannah College of Art & Design.

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 Friday's 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. This time, after being outclassed in the first two games, Cornell ripped off the team's best volleyball over the next three sets to earn its first win of the year.

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).

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.

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.

40 YEARS OF BIG RED VOLLEYBALL: This season, the Big Red will be celebrating 40 years of volleyball at Cornell. The team will have a an official celebration in conjunction with its annual Alumni Weekend, to be held when it plays host to Yale on Friday, Sept. 28 and Brown on Saturday, Sept. 29.

UP NEXT: Cornell opens the Ivy League portion of its schedule next weekend as it travels to New York City to face Columbia and Levien Gymnasium on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. The Big Red dropped both contests to the Lions last season but still holds a commanding 46-8 advantage in the all-time series.