ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell volleyball team (14-3, 7-1) opens a four-match home stand this weekend with two crucial conference matchups against Ivy League title contender Princeton (11-6, 7-1) on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and Penn (9-8, 2-6) on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.

MATCH INFORMATION

Match #18: Cornell vs. Princeton
Match Time: Friday, Nov. 1, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Match Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Series Record: Princeton leads, 56-21
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-1; Oct. 5, 2019 (Princeton, N.J.)
2019 Records: Cornell (14-3, 7-1 Ivy League); Princeton (11-6, 7-1 Ivy League)
Live Video (ESPN+): es.pn/2NmQC8j
Live Stats: bit.ly/2lIA40d
 
Match #19: Cornell vs. Penn
Match Time: Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 at 5 p.m.
Match Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Series Record: Penn leads, 45-30
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-2; Oct. 4, 2019 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
2019 Records: Cornell (14-3, 7-1 Ivy League); Penn (9-8, 2-6 Ivy League)
Live Video (ESPN+): es.pn/34c9vS6
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2lIA40d
 
*Records prior to Friday's contests.

THE WEEKEND:

Now in the second half of Ivy League play, the Big Red has placed itself in prime position to fight for the 2019 Ivy League crown. Cornell is currently at the top of the conference with a 7-1 record, but they are not alone, sitting in a three-way tie for first with Princeton (7-1) and Yale (7-1). With this in mind, the magnitude of Friday's match against Princeton speaks for itself, as the Tigers and Big Red square off with Ivy League title implications on the line.
 
Penn also proves to be an important matchup for the Big Red, as the Quakers pushed Cornell to five sets earlier this season on Oct. 4 in Philadelphia. The Big Red came out on top, 3-2, but had to fight back hard after Penn took the first two sets. The Quakers will be hungry to seek revenge this weekend.
 
Cornell enters Friday's contest coming off of a 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-22) sweep of Columbia last weekend. The Tigers' and the Quakers' last match was against each other, and Princeton got the win in three sets, 3-0.

THE SERIES VS. PRINCETON:

Since the series inception in 1974, Princeton has dominated, holding a 56-21 advantage. However, Cornell has the advantage this season, beating the Tigers, 3-1 (26-24, 14-25, 28-26, 25-21), in the teams' first match-up earlier this year on Oct. 5 in Princeton, N.J. Downing the pre-season Ivy League favorite on the road was a huge win for the Big Red, and beating the Tigers twice this season would be an even bigger accomplishment. The Big Red will be seeking its first season sweep of Princeton since 2004.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

The loss to Cornell earlier this season lit a fire under the Tigers, who are currently on a five-game winning streak and haven't lost since the Big Red took them down. Senior outside hitter Natasha Skov has been the spark behind Princeton's success, being named the Ivy League Athlete of the Week in back-to-back weeks on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21. Over the last five matches, Skov has averaged 13.6 kills/match to go along with a 0.332 hitting percentage.
 
Similar to Cornell, Princeton has great depth to its roster, as the following student-athletes rank among the top-10 in the Ivy League in their respective statistical categories:
* Jessie Harris – First in Assists/Set (11.22)
* Cameron Dames – Second in Digs/Set (4.06)
* Claire Lenihan – Third in Hitting Percentage (.416), Fourth in Aces/Set (0.34), Seventh in Blocks/Set (0.85), Seventh in Points/Set (3.30)
* Elena Montgomery – Third in Kills/Set (3.21), Fourth in Points/Set (3.48)
* Devon Peterkin – Third in Points/Set (3.62), Fourth in Kills/Set (3.12), Fifth in Aces/Set (0.34)
* Maggie O'Connell – Eighth in Kills/Set (2.71), Ninth in Hitting Percentage (.317), Tenth in Points/Set (3.07)
 
Considering that the Tigers have three student-athletes ranked in the top-10 of the Ivy League in kills/set, it comes as no surprise that Princeton leads the conference as a team in kills/set (14.27). Princeton also leads the Ivy League as a team in hitting percentage (.275) and assists/set (13.02).

THE SERIES VS. PENN:

The series between Cornell and Penn dates all the way back to 1974, with the Quakers holding a 45-30 advantage. Cornell has chipped away at the Quakers' lead as of late, with Penn owning a slim 18-16 advantage since 2000. The Big Red won the teams' first matchup of the season on Oct. 4 in Philadelphia in dramatic fashion, as Cornell came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Penn, 3-2 (15-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-10).

SCOUTING THE QUAKERS:

The Quakers posted a 2-5 record through the first round of Ivy League play and currently sit in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference. Penn's pair of Ivy League victories came against Brown (3-0) and Dartmouth (3-1).
 
Penn has been led so far this season by Margaret Planek, who ranks eighth in the Ivy League in points/set (3.25), ninth in aces/set (0.29), and 10th in kills/set (2.63). Parker Jones has also had a solid season, sitting fifth in the conference in kills/set (3.07) and sixth in points/set (3.33). Carmina Raquel has controlled Penn's back row, leading the Ivy League in digs/set (4.43). Daniela Fornaciari has also made her presence known, sitting seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.327) and eighth in blocks/set (0.84).

THIS IS OUR HOUSE:

The Big Red has defended Newman Arena well this season, only falling at home once in the opening weekend of play to Hartford, 3-2, in the finale of the Cornell Invitational, and winning every match at home since. Cornell is a perfect 5-0 in Ivy League contests at home this season.

GET OUT YOUR BROOMS:

Cornell has made quick work out of a number of its opponents this season, as nine of its 14 wins have been 3-0 sweeps. Coincidentally, Cornell's company atop the Ivy League, Princeton and Yale, have each recorded nine 3-0 victories this season as well.

#WINNING:

With its 14 wins so far this season, the Big Red has recorded the most wins since 2006, when the team finished 18-9 overall and won the Ivy League title. Cornell has won 12 of its last 13 matches and has already matched its win total from last season, when the team ended the year with a record of 14-10.

THE IVY LEAGUE LANDSCAPE:

The second half of Ivy League play is shaping up to be exciting, as Cornell (7-1) sits in a three-way tie for first place with Princeton (7-1), and Yale (7-1). To make things even more interesting, Cornell's, Princeton's, and Yale's lone conference loss came from one of the other first-place opponents. Cornell beat Princeton, 3-1, while Princeton swept Yale, 3-0, and Yale defeated the Big Red, 3-1, in the first round of Ivy League play.

THE RACE FOR A CROWN:

Cornell is seeking its first Ivy League crown since 2006. The Big Red's title 13 seasons ago marked the third title for Cornell in three years, as the Big Red won a share of the conference crown in 2004 and won the Ivy League outright in 2005.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB:

With her seventh dig in Cornell's contest against Yale on Oct. 19, senior libero Lily Barber joined an exclusive list in Cornell volleyball history, becoming just the ninth Big Red volleyball player to amass 1,000 digs for her career. She is also the first Cornell volleyball student-athlete to collect 1,000 digs since Natasha Rowland did so in 2014. Barber currently has 1,025 digs for her career, and that number is still growing.

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

Senior middle blockers Jenna Phelps (.438) and Jada Stackhouse (.395) have been among the most accurate attackers in the nation this season, as the pair ranks sixth and 32nd, respectively, in hitting percentage in all of Division I.  At the rate she is going, Phelps is on pace to finish second all-time in career hitting percentage at Cornell, currently sitting at .327 for her career.

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS:

Highlighted by a top-20 national ranking in hitting percentage, the Big Red entered the week ranked in the top-50 of the NCAA in the following statistical categories:
* 17th in Hitting Percentage (.272)
* 24th in Match W-L Percentage (.824)
* 31st in Kills/Set (13.76)
* 35th in Assists/Set (12.68)
* 39th in Opponent Hitting Percentage (.167)
* 50th in Aces/Set (1.59)

INDIVIDUAL IVY RANKINGS: 

The following Cornell student-athletes are currently ranked among the best in the Ivy League in their respective statistical categories:
* Jenna Phelps – 2nd in Hitting Percentage (.438)
* Jada Stackhouse – 2nd in Blocks/Set (1.14), 4th in Hitting Percentage (.395)
* Lily Barber – 2nd in Aces/Set (0.37), 4th in Digs/Set (3.97)
* Emma Worthington – 6th in Aces/Set (0.31), 6th in Assists/Set (6.26)
* Zoe Chamness – 7th in Assists/Set (5.66), 10th in aces/set (0.28)
* Jillienne Bennett – 8th in Hitting Percentage (.327)
* Joanna Chang – 8th in Aces/Set (0.29)

IVY RANKINGS:

Cornell is currently leading the Ivy League as a team in a league-high five statistical categories, including the following:
* Aces/Set (1.59)
* Opponent Hitting Percentage (.167)
* Opponent Assists/Set (9.97)
* Opponent Kills/Set (10.67)
* Opponent Blocks/Set (1.76)
 
The Big Red also ranks second in the Ivy League in the following statistical categories:
* Hitting Percentage (.272)
* Assists/Set (12.68)
* Kills/Set (13.76)
* Blocks/Set (2.01)
* Digs/Set (14.71)

YOU'VE BEEN SERVED:

The Big Red has stepped up to the serving line with confidence this season, as four Cornell student-athletes rank in the top-10 in the Ivy League in aces/set. Lily Barber ranks second (0.37), Emma Worthington sits sixth (0.31), Joanna Chang ranks eighth (0.29), and Zoe Chamness sits 10th (0.28).

MOVING ON UP:

The following Big Red student-athletes find themselves moving up the Cornell career records:
* Jenna Phelps – 7th in Block Assists (253), 10th in Total Blocks (283), 18th in Solo Blocks (30), 21st in Total Points (783.5), 26th in Kills (548)
* Lily Barber – 9th in Digs (1,025), 21st in Assists (301)
* Jada Stackhouse – 10th in Block Assists (222), 13th in Total Blocks (258), 17th in Solo Blocks (36)
* Zoe Chamness – 11th in Assists (1,403)
* Emma Worthington – 19th in Assists (382)

IVY LEAGUE ROOKIES OF THE WEEK:

Both Joanna Chang and Emma Worthington have earned the title of Ivy League Rookie of the Week this season, as Chang received the honor on Sept. 30 and Worthington earned the accolade on Oct. 14.

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 (58-54), 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 Jillienne 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 remain at home to host Yale on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. and Brown on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. in two critical Ivy League matchups at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. The match against Brown will serve as the Big Red's senior day.