ITHACA, N.Y. – Entering the weekend on a six game win streak, the Cornell volleyball team will look to build upon this momentum when it hits the road for a pair of Ivy League contests against Penn on Friday, Oct. 4 and preseason conference favorite Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 5.

MATCH INFORMATION

Match #11: Cornell at Penn
Match Time: Friday, Oct. 4, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Match Site: The Palestra (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Series Record: Penn leads, 45-29
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-0; Nov. 2, 2018
2019 Records: Cornell (8-2, 1-0 Ivy League); Penn (7-3, 0-1 Ivy League)
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2mCBv1j
Live Video (ESPN+): https://es.pn/2oa9Zsk
 
Match #12: Cornell at Princeton
Match Time: Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 at 5 p.m.
Match Site: Dillon Gymnasium (Princeton, N.J.)
Series Record: Princeton leads, 56-20
Last Meeting: Cornell lost, 0-3; Nov. 3, 2018
2019 Records: Cornell (8-2, 1-0 Ivy League); Princeton (5-5, 1-0 Ivy League)
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2mI5i8U
Live Video (ESPN+): https://es.pn/2oakxrq

THE WEEKEND:

The Big Red will face what are arguably its biggest tests of the season thus far when it plays its first pair of Ivy League road matches against Penn and Princeton this weekend. Cornell will square off against Penn on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa., before taking on pre-season Ivy League favorite Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in Princeton, N.J.
 
Cornell improved to 8-2 overall last weekend when it downed Columbia in its Ivy League opener, 3-0, giving the Big Red its best start to the season since 2005. Penn (7-3) and Princeton (5-5) went head-to-head last weekend, and the Tigers defeated the Quakers, 3-0.
 
For fans who wish to follow along with all the action this weekend, both matches will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and live stats will also be provided.

THE SERIES VS. PENN:

The series between Cornell and Penn dates all the way back to 1974, with the Quakers holding a 45-29 advantage. Penn controlled the series in the 1970s and '80s, establishing a 44-28 all-time lead, but Cornell has chipped away at the Quakers' advantage as of late, with Penn owning a slim 18-15 advantage since 2000. Last season, the Big Red and Quakers split its two meetings, as Penn took the first matchup, 3-1, and Cornell beat Penn later in the season, 3-0.

SCOUTING THE QUAKERS: 

The Quakers are off to its best start since 2009, owning a 7-3 record and already eclipsing its win total from 2018 when the team went 6-19. The team returns a pair of 2018 Honorable Mention All-Ivy League performers in junior outside hitters Parker Jones and Raven Sulaimon, who have contributed to the Quaker attack again this season. Jones currently leads the team and ranks seventh in the Ivy League in kills/set (2.98).
 
Sophomore Margaret Planek has also been a force to be reckoned with this season, leading the Quakers in blocking (30) while ranking second on the team and ninth in the conference in kills/set (2.77). She has also found success from the serving line, averaging 0.41 aces/set, a mark which currently ranks eighth in the Ivy League. Carmina Raquel leads the Ivy League in digs, averaging 4.80/set.

THE SERIES VS. PRINCETON:

Since the series inception in 1974, Princeton has dominated, holding a 56-20 advantage. The Big Red will look to seek revenge this weekend after the Tigers swept Cornell last season, as Princeton won both matchups last year by a score of 3-0. Cornell's last win over Princeton came in 2017, snapping a seven-match win streak for Princeton over the Big Red at the time.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

The match against Princeton is a big one for Cornell, as the Tigers were selected as the preseason favorite to win the conference, per the Ivy League preseason poll. The Tigers enter the weekend on a three-game win streak, evening its record at 5-5 on the season. Princeton faced multiple power-five schools in the early going, sweeping Arkansas (3-0) and putting up a good fight against Maryland and then No. 14-ranked Oregon, falling to both schools in five sets.
 
Princeton has a pair of outside hitters that rank in the top three in the Ivy League in kills/set, as Devon Peterkin (3.69) and Elena Montgomery (3.68) continue to fuel the Tigers' attack. Jesse Harris has been a big reason why Peterkin and Montgomery have found success, as she currently leads the conference in assists/set (11.64). Cameron Dames has controlled the back row for Princeton so far this season, averaging 4.12 digs/set, a mark which sits third in the Ivy League.

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

The following Cornell players entered the week ranked in the top 50 of the NCAA in their respective statistical categories:
* Jada Stackhouse – 14th in Hitting Percentage (.429), 39th in Blocks/Set (1.30)
* Jenna Phelps – 22nd in Hitting Percentage (.416)

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS:

As a team, the Big Red entered the week ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA in the following statistical categories:
* 5th in Opponent Hitting Percentage (.131)
* 16th in Hitting Percentage (.273)
* 50th in Aces/Set (1.65)
* 52nd in Assists/Set (12.41)
* 76th in Blocks/Set (2.31)

INDIVIDUAL IVY RANKINGS:

The following Cornell student-athletes are currently ranked among the best in the Ivy League in their respective statistical categories:
* Jada Stackhouse – 1st in Blocks/Set (1.30), 2nd in Hitting Percentage (.429)
* Jenna Phelps – 3rd in Hitting Percentage (.416)
* Lily Barber – 3rd in Aces/Set (0.50), 4th in Digs/Set (3.79)
* Zoe Chamness – 7th in Assists/Set (5.58)
* Emma Worthington – 8th in Assists/Set (5.58)
* Jillienne Bennett – 9th in Hitting Percentage (.296)

IVY RANKINGS:

Cornell is currently leading the Ivy League as a team in a league-high five statistical categories, including hitting percentage (.273), opponent hitting percentage (.131), kills/set (13.50), blocks/set (2.31), and aces/set (1.65).

MOVING ON UP:

The following Big Red student-athletes find themselves moving up the Cornell career records:
* Jenna Phelps – 7th in Block Assists (249), 10th in Total Blocks (278), 19th in Solo Blocks (29), 24th in Total Points (753.5), 28th in Kills (521)
* Zoe Chamness – 12th in Assists (1,302)
* Jada Stackhouse – 12th in Block Assists (201), 14th in Total Blocks (234), 18th in Solo Blocks (33)
* Lily Barber – 13th in Digs (915), 21st in Assists (259)

CHANG TABBED IVY LEAGUE ROOKIE OF WEEK:

After helping the Big Red to its sixth straight victory and sixth sweep of the 2019 season, freshman outside hitter Joanna Chang was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.

Chang, who garnered the first weekly honor of her young career, filled the stat sheet on Saturday, notching a season-best 12 kills and a .476 hitting percentage to go along with seven digs, two assists, one ace, and one block assist. Chang distributed the ball beautifully from the back row, registering 18 receptions and tallying only one error en route to a .947 reception percentage.
 
Chang currently ranks second in points (83.0), second in digs (77.0), and third in kills (65.0) for the Big Red on the season.

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAMS: 

The following Big Red players earned a spot on one or more all-tournament teams during the non-conference portion of the schedule:
*Jada Stackhouse was named to the all-tournament team at all three tournaments in which the Big Red competed – The Cornell Invitational, The Bay Area Invitational, and the Blue and White Classic.
*Jenna Phelps was named the Blue and White Classic MVP, also earning a spot on the Bay Area Invitational all-tournament team.
*Jillienne Bennett was named to the Cornell Invitational all-tournament team.
*Joanna Chang earned a spot on the Blue and White Classic all-tournament team.

PRESEASON POLL: 

After back-to-back third place Ivy League finishes in 2017 and 2018, the Big Red was selected to once again place third in 2019, the Ivy League announced in its preseason poll on August 29. The Big Red, who received a total of 91 points in the preseason poll, are coming off a season that saw the team go 14-10 overall and 9-5 in conference play, posting the most conference wins since the 2008 campaign.
 
Princeton, who received a league-high 10 first place votes and a total of 120 points, was chosen as the preseason Ivy League favorite. Yale, the 2018 Ivy League Champion, was picked second with five first place votes and 117 points. Harvard received the final first place vote, and was chosen to finish behind Cornell in fourth with 80 points.

A PROGRAM ON THE RISE: 

Over the course of the past two years, the Big Red volleyball program has been on the up-and-up, with their back-to-back third place Ivy League finishes marking the best consecutive seasons by Cornell since the program won three straight titles following a second place finish from 2003-06. This season, the team is ready to break through the third place barrier, having their sights set on an Ivy League title.

THE HEAD COACH:

The Big Red is led by Trudy Vande Berg, The Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball. Now in her fifth season (52-53), Vande Berg became the 11th head coach in Cornell volleyball history in March 2015 after spending three years with the Big Red as an assistant coach. The 2017 Ivy League Coach of the Year, Vande Berg has been the guiding force of the Big Red's recent success.

STRENGTH COMES IN NUMBERS: 

The Cornell roster is filled with experience and depth, as the squad returns 15 letter winners from 2018, including four All-Ivy League performers. Seniors Samanta Arenas and Jenna Phelps and sophomore Jilliene Bennett will all be faces to watch after earning second team All-Ivy League distinction last year. Senior libero Lily Barber will be a key component of the Big Red defense, coming off of an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention nod in 2018.

FRESH NEW FACES: 

Joanna Chang, Riley Hazelrigg, Evan Reich, and Emma Worthington are the newest members of the Cornell volleyball squad, joining the team for the 2019 season. The group, who will make and immediate impact for the Big Red, consists of one pin hitter, one setter, and two defensive specialists.

UP NEXT: 

The Big Red will return home for a pair of Ivy League contests against Dartmouth and Harvard on Oct. 11-12 at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.