HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The Cornell volleyball team ended its first weekend of play in style, picking up its first victory of 2017 with a strong 3-1 win over Hampton on Saturday evening at James Madison's Sinclair Gymnasium. The Big Red fell to Drake 3-0 earlier in the afternoon as part of the two-day Tropical Smoothie Invitational.

Match 2
Cornell's defense kept it in the match, but couldn't get its offense on track in a 3-0 loss to Drake on Saturday morning at the Tropical Smoothie Invitational at James Madison. The Bulldogs improved to 5-1 on the year, while the Big Red slipped to 0-2.

Kara Rogers had a team-high eight kills, with Emily Wemhoff (seven kills) and Kit McCarty (six kills) not far behind. Kiley McPeek was credited with 11 digs and Chelsea Sincox (13 assists) and Katie Randolph (12 assists) combined for 25 assists. Cornell hit .107 as a team, not far off Drake's .160 hitting percentage. It tallied more blocks (5-2) and digs (53-52) than the Bulldogs and had just one fewer kill in the loss.

Kyla Inderski's 11 kills and Courtney Morehead's 22 assists were both match highs for the Bulldogs.

Match 3
The Big Red's offense came alive in the nightcap, lifting Cornell (1-2) to its first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Hampton on Saturday evening at James Madison's Tropical Smoothie Invitational. 

Cornell jumped out to a 2-0 lead, taking the first two sets 25-22 and 25-18, before watching an early lead evaporate in the third en route to a 25-22 loss. The Big Red left no doubt in the fourth, staking itself to a dominant 16-5 lead and cruising to its first victory of 2017. 

Emily Wemhoff (14), Samanta  Arenas (14) and Kit McCarty (10) all were in double figures for kills to pace a balanced offense that hit a season-best .240 as a unit. Kiley McPeek also starred, recording a season-high 16 digs and four of the team's six service aces.

The Big Red will open its home schedule next weekend when it welcomes Binghamton, St. John's and Valparaiso for the Cornell Invitational. The two-day, six-match, round-robin tournament will kick off on Friday, Sept. 8. Cornell will play its first match at 7 p.m. against its Central New York rival Bearcats at Newman Arena.