MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #18: Cornell vs. Columbia
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014; 2:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 48-11
LAST MEETING: Columbia won, 3-1; Sept. 27, 2014
2014 RECORDS: Cornell (3-14, 0-7 Ivy); Columba (7-9, 3-4 Ivy)
LIVE STATS 
LIVE VIDEO  

THE MATCHUP: The Big Red volleyball team will open the second half of Ivy League play when it welcomes Columbia (7-9, 3-4 Ivy) to Newman Arena on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. The contest will serve as the team's Dig Pink game and fans are encouraged to wear pink to Newman Arena. Out of town fans can follow along via live stats, or watch the game live on the Ivy League Digital Network.

THE SERIES VS. COLUMBIA: The Big Red and the Lions have played 59 times dating back to 1977, with Cornell holding a dominating 48-11 record in the all-time series. The Big Red halted a four-match losing streak against the Lions last season with a series sweep, defeating Columbia in a pair of 3-2 decisions, but fell in the Ivy opener earlier this year, 3-1.

LAST TIME VS. THE LIONS: After winning the first set, 25-20, the Big Red dropped the next three (25-21, 25-12, 25-20) to fall to Columbia, 3-1, on Sept. 27 at Levien Gymnasium in the Ivy League opener for both teams. Cornell was led by Macey Wilson's .286 hitting percentage (7-1-21), while freshmen Maddy Sroufe and Emily Wemhoff had 10 kills apiece. Setter Alyssa Phelps had 32 assists to go along with six digs, four kills and three blocks, while libero Natasha Rowland finished with a match-high 23 digs. Chelsea Sincox also chipped in a career-high 16 digs. Columbia was led by Bailey Springer and Katarina Jovicic with 10 kills each. Jovicic also hit an impressive .450 (10-1-20), as the team posted a .159 hitting percentage for the match. Jennifer Petrovich handed out 34 assists and Charlee Dyroff was the only Lion with double-digit digs, finishing with 17.

DIG PINK: Again this season, the Big Red will host a Dig Pink game, joining with the Side-Out Foundation as part of its Breast Cancer Awareness Rally. Cornell invites fans to wear pink to the match vs. the Lions to help support the cause. Those wishing to contribute can donate the day of the event or online at: https://www.side-out.org/cb/campaigns/campaign/8829. Proceeds are distributed among research teams focused on target therapies and molecular profiling as well as "living with cancer" organizations nationwide. 
 
THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose is in her third season at Cornell (20-46, .303) ... Batie-Smoose became the 10th coach in Cornell volleyball history in April 2012 ... She has a 107-108 (.498) record as a head coach, including a mark of 81-43 (.653) at Savannah College of Art & Design.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DIG STREAK: Natasha Rowland has posted double-digit digs in 21 consecutive games, the longest streak of her career.

NCAA RANKINGS: Entering the week, Natasha Rowland's 5.46 digs per set was good for seventh in the nation, while the Big Red's 15.61 digs per set was good for 88th overall.
 
IN THE RANKINGS: Several Cornell players are raked in the top 10 of various Ivy League statistical categories, including:
* Macey Wilson – 10th in hitting percentage (.266)
* Emily Wemhoff – eighth in kills per set (2.90)
* Alyssa Phelps – fourth in assists per set (8.67)
* Macey Wilson – 3rd in blocks per set (1.00)
* Natasha Rowland – first in digs per set (5.46)
 
MOVING ON UP: Senior libero Natasha Rowland sits in fourth place in Cornell history for career digs with 1,182. She enters the week needing just 90 digs to surpass Jen Strazza (1989-92) and move into third place.

SETTING UP: Sophomore Alyssa Phelps currently sits in 10th place in Cornell history for career assists (1,452), needing 246 more to move past Tere Duran (1987-88) and into ninth place.
 
ON THE SMALL SIDE: With just 11 players on the roster, the Big Red is the smallest team in the Ivy League, behind Yale (15), Columbia (16), and Harvard (16).
 
YOUNG GUNS: With 10 underclassmen on its roster of 11 players, the Big Red is by far the youngest team in the Ivy League with 91 percent of its roster being either a freshman or a sophomore. The next youngest team is Columbia at 63 percent, with 10 underclassmen on a roster of 16. No other team is above 57 percent.  
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Senior libero Natasha Rowland was named to both the Seton Hall All-Tournament Team and the Otto Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Maddy Sroufe was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 9, following an outstanding performance at the Seton Hall Tournament, where Sroufe led Cornell in both kills per set (3.13) and hitting percentage (.159). She also added 27 digs (1.8 per set) and 10 service aces. Sroufe improved as the weekend went on, registering seven kills vs. Seton Hall, 11 vs. UNLV, 14 in a win over Siena, and 15 vs. Rutgers. She also tallied 17 digs against the Scarlet Knights for her first career double-double.  

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Big Red added seven new members to the 2014 roster – Amelia Brackett, Gabrielle Ennis, Kit McCarty, Kiley McPeek, Chelsea Sincox, Maddy Sroufe, and Emily Wemhoff. The group of seven hails from six states and consists of three outside hitters, two right-side hitters, one middle hitter and one defensive specialist.
 
HALL OF FAME: Debbie Quibell '04 was named one of 11 new member selected for induction into the Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame at the 37th annual ceremonies to be held Friday, Nov. 7 on the Cornell campus. Quibell was a three-time All-Ivy League selection and two-time first-team honoree who graduated as the school's all-time leader in kills (1,212). She also was first in kills per set (3.52) and digs per set (3.25), second in digs (1,118) and points per set (4.12) and third in aces (127) and total points (1418.5). She was a first-team All-Ivy League pick as a sophomore and junior after capturing second-team All-Ivy accolades as a freshman. Quibell was a two-time Academic All-Ivy League selection and was a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District pick as a senior. The four-year starter helped guide the team to a 72-34 record, including a 21-4 mark her senior year. During her junior year, the team finished as runner-up at the Ivy League Tournament and placed tied for second in the regular season in her final season in 2003 with an 11-3 record.

UP NEXT: The Big Red continues with hits five-game home stand next weekend when it welcomes Penn and Princeton to Newman Arena on Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1, respectively.