MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #7: Cornell vs. Colgate
MATCH TIME: Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014; 7:30 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Women's Building (Syracuse, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 54-28
LAST MEETING: Colgate won, 3-0; Sept. 14, 2013
2014 RECORDS: Cornell (2-4); Colgate (3-4)
LIVE STATS:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/syracuse/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: None

MATCH #8: Cornell vs. Albany
MATCH TIME: Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014; 10:00 a.m.
MATCH SITE: Women's Building (Syracuse, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 7-0
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 3-1; Sept. 19, 2003
2014 RECORDS: Cornell (2-4)*; Albany (2-7)*
LIVE STATS:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/syracuse/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: None

MATCH #9: Cornell at Syracuse
MATCH TIME: Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014; 7:00 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Women's Building (Syracuse, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Syracuse leads, 33-9-1
LAST MEETING: Syracuse won, 3-1; Sept. 17, 2011
2014 RECORDS: Cornell (2-4)*; Syracuse (5-4)*
LIVE STATS:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/syracuse/wvball/
LIVE VIDEO: None

* Records prior to Sept. 20

THE OTTO INVITATIONAL: The Big Red volleyball team will play in its final tournament of the season when it travels up I-81 to take part in the Syracuse's Otto Invitational, where the Big Red will face a trio of instate rivals – Colgate (Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.), Albany (Sunday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m.), and the Orange (Sunday, Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m.).

THE SERIES VS. COLGATE: The Big Red has a history of success against the Raiders, holding a 54-28-1 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1972, the very first season of varsity volleyball in Cornell history. The Raiders have had the upper hand recently, winning six of the last seven meetings, including last season's 3-0 victory at the Blackbird Invitational.

VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Big Red is 88-40-1 against the current members of the Patriot League, thanks mostly to a 54-28-1 record over Colgate. Cornell also has a winning record against Army (6-1), Bucknell (13-2), Holy Cross (4-0), Lafayette (4-1) and Lehigh (5-2). The Big Red's series with Navy is tied at 2-2, while American is the only team in the Patriot League with a winning record against Cornell (4-0) … The Big Red has never played the two newest members of the league – Boston University of Lehigh ... Coach Batie-Smoose is 3-2 against the Patriot League.
 
THE SERIES VS. ALBANY: The Big Red is a perfect 7-0 vs. Albany in a series that began in 1981. The two programs have not met since the 2003 season.    

VS. THE AMERICA EAST:  Cornell is 39-10-2 all-time vs. the current members of the America East, thanks mostly to a 21-8-2 record vs. in-state rival Binghamton. The Big Red also has a winning record vs. Albany (7-0), Hartford (6-1), New Hampshire (2-0) and Stony Brook (3-1), but has never faced UMBC or UMass-Lowell.
 
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 33-9-1, and have won the last five meetings after the Big Red earned a 3-0 victory in 2006 at Newman Arena.

VS. THE ATLANTIC COASTAL CONFERENCE:  Cornell is 20-51-1 all-time vs. the current members of the ACC, thanks mostly to a 9-33-1 record against Syracuse. The Big Red has a winning record vs. Boston College (7-0), Pitt (1-0), and Wake Forest (1-0), and is tied in the all-time series with Duke (1-1) and Notre Dame (1-1). In addition to the Orange, Cornell has a losing record with Georgia Tech (0-1), Louisville (0-1), Miami (0-1), NC State (0-11), Virginia (0-1), and Virginia Tech (0-1). The Bi gRed has never played Clemson, Florida, or UNC in volleyball.

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose is in her third season at Cornell (19-36, .345) ... Batie-Smoose became the 10th coach in Cornell volleyball history in April 2012 ... She has a 106-98 (.520) record as a head coach, including a mark of 81-43 (.653) at Savannah College of Art & Design.
 
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.  
 
NCAA RANKINGS: Entering the week, Natasha Rowland's 5.40 digs per set is good for fifth, while Emily Wemhoff's 12.10 attacks per set ranks 13th overall. Additionally, Maddy Sroufe's 0.48 aces per set ranks 53rd in the nation, while Macey Wilson's 1.25 blocks per set is good for 68th overall.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Senior libero Natasha Rowland was named to the Seton Hall All-Tournament Team after a solid four-match performance that saw her register 81 digs (5.4 per set).

MOVING ON UP: With her 42-dig performance at the Bucknell Invitational, senior libero Natasha Rowland moved into ninth place in Cornell history for career digs with 972. She enters the weekend needing just 25 digs to surpass Jennifer Borncamp (1998-2001) and move into eighth place.

SETTING UP: Sophomore Alyssa Phelps currently sits in 12th place in Cornell history for career assists (1061), needing just 29 more to move past Sara Thomas (1992-94) and into 11th place.
 
ON THE BLOCK: Entering the week, sophomore Macey Wilson ranks first in the conference and 68th in the nation in blocks per set (1.25). A year ago, Wilson finished her rookie season ranked second on the team and second in the Ivy League with 1.05 blocks per set and her 82 block assists ranked 16th overall in Big Red history for a single-season.
 
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 will close its non-conference schedule, and play in its home-opener, with a midweek game vs. Binghamton at Newman Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. Cornell has won two-straight matches vs. the Bearcats to improve its record to 21-8-2 all-time.