ITHACA, N.Y. – With the final weekend of Ivy League play on tap for the Cornell volleyball team, the Big Red are in the chase for a conference title as they prepare for a pair of road contests at Harvard on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. and Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 5 p.m.

MATCH INFORMATION

Match #22: Cornell at Harvard
Match Time: Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Match Site: Malkin Athletic Center (Cambridge, Mass.)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 41-28
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-1; Oct. 12, 2019 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2019 Records: Cornell (16-5, 7-3 Ivy League); Harvard (5-16, 2-8 Ivy League)
Live Video (ESPN+): es.pn/2pbbhEg
Live Stats: bit.ly/33GW9O9
 
Match #23: Cornell at Dartmouth
Match Time: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 at 5 p.m.
Match Site: Leede Arena (Hanover, N.H.)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 45-18
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-0; Oct. 11, 2019 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2019 Records: Cornell (16-5, 7-3 Ivy League); Dartmouth (7-15, 2-8 Ivy League)
Live Video (ESPN+): es.pn/2NHMAcf
Live Stats: bit.ly/2KaFaMn
 
*Records prior to Friday's contests.

THE WEEKEND:

Just two Ivy League contests remain for Cornell and each of its conference counterparts, and for the Big Red, these contests are must-wins to remain in the hunt for the Ivy League crown. The Big Red has put together one of its best seasons in over a decade this year, currently sitting at 16-5 overall and 7-3 in the Ivy League. As Ivy League play is winding down, the race for a conference title is heating up, and Cornell is in the conversation.
 
The Big Red's title hopes hinge on Cornell taking care of business this weekend and receiving help from several Ivy League allies. Cornell, who currently sits third in the Ivy League, will look to take care of business against Harvard and Dartmouth, and will hope for Princeton and Yale to falter.
 
Princeton currently sits atop the Ivy League at 9-1, while Yale is just behind at 9-2. If Cornell wins out, in order for the Big Red to have a shot at the Ivy League crown, Princeton would need to lose both of its road matchups against Brown and Yale. If Princeton lost both contests, Yale will play an if-necessary match against Brown on Sunday. If Yale wins the if-necessary match, Yale is the outright Ivy League champion and NCAA qualifier. If Yale loses the if-necessary match, there would be a shared Ivy League title and a three-team playoff for the NCAA automatic qualifier between Cornell, Princeton, and Yale. While there are a lot of moving parts, anything is possible, and Cornell is still in the chase for an Ivy League title.

THE SERIES VS. HARVARD:

Cornell holds the series advantage over Harvard, leading 41-28 going all the way back to 1977. The Big Red won the matchup between the two teams earlier this season, a 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20) victory for Cornell at Newman Arena on Oct. 12. If the Big Red defeat the Crimson on Friday, it would mark the second-consecutive year that Cornell swept Harvard, and would be the first time since 2007 and 2008 that the Big Red posted back-to-back season sweeps of the Crimson.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON:

Harvard (5-16, 3-9) currently sits seventh in the Ivy League. The Crimson picked up its third conference win of the season on Nov. 2, upsetting Yale, 3-1. Harvard has been led this season by sophomore Bella Almanza and freshman Ashley Wang, who currently ranks first (0.46) and second (0.34), respectively, in the Ivy League in aces/set. Wang also ranks ninth in assists/set (5.25).
 
Several other Crimson student-athletes rank in the top-10 of the Ivy League in their respective statistical categories, including:
* Sope Adeleye – 2nd in blocks/set (1.07)
* Sandra Zeng – 6th in digs/set (3.52)
* Ava Rauser – 8th in blocks/set (0.82)

THE SERIES VS. DARTMOUTH:

Cornell owns a commanding 45-18 series advantage over Dartmouth dating back to 1981. The Big Red swept Dartmouth earlier this season, 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-19), at Newman Arena. Cornell is seeking its second-consecutive season sweep of the Big Green.

SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN:

Dartmouth currently owns a 7-15 overall and 2-10 conference record, sitting in eighth place in the Ivy League entering the final weekend of conference play. As a team, the Big Green leads the Ivy League in digs/set (15.74).
 
Freshman setter Makenzie Arent has put together a solid freshman campaign, ranking fifth in the Ivy League in assists/set (6.87). Francesca Meldrum (1.03) and Tola Akinwumi (1.00) have been a presence at the net, sitting fourth and fifth, respectively in the Ivy League in blocks/set. Bella Hedley (4.03) and Nicole Liddle (3.03) rank fourth and ninth, respectively, in the conference in digs/set.

THANK YOU SENIORS:

The Big Red's match against Brown on Nov. 9 was the final home contest at Newman Arena for Cornell seniors Jenna Phelps, Jada Stackhouse, Lily Barber, Samanta Arenas, Katie Randolph, and Sophia Beaudoin. As a class, they have been instrumental in helping to restore Cornell's position in the upper tier of the Ivy League. They've helped the Big Red secure back-to-back third place finishes in the Ivy League in 2017 and 2018, and so far this season, have led Cornell to its most wins since the 2006 campaign.

GET OUT YOUR BROOMS:

Cornell has made quick work out of a number of its opponents this season, as 10 of its 16 wins have been 3-0 sweeps.

#WINNING:

With its 16 wins so far this season, the Big Red has recorded its most wins since 2006, when the team finished 18-9 overall and won the Ivy League title. Cornell has already surpassed its win total from last season, when the team ended the year with a record of 14-10.

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 at Yale on Oct. 19, 2019, 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 1,099 digs for her career, a number that ranks seventh all-time in program history.

A RARE FEAT:

With two matches remaining in her career, Barber has also surpassed the 300 assist plateau, having recorded 329 assists for her Big Red career. This makes Barber only the second Cornell volleyball student-athlete in program history to record 1,000 digs and 300 assists. The only other person to do so was Cornell's all-time assists leader, Jen Strazza, who tallied 3,572 assists and 1,271 digs from 1989-92.

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

Senior middle blockers Jada Stackhouse (.394) and Jenna Phelps (.374) have been among the most accurate attackers in the nation this season, as the pair ranks 26th and 41st, respectively, in hitting percentage in all of Division I. Stackhouse has also been a menace at the net, ranking 50th in the country in blocks/set (1.23).

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS:

The Big Red entered the week ranked in the top-50 of the NCAA in the following statistical categories:
* 27th in Kills/Set (13.87)
* 31st in Hitting Percentage (.264)
* 32nd in Assists/Set (12.81)
* 32nd in Opponent Hitting Percentage (.165)
* 42nd in Match W-L Percentage (0.762)

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 (1.23), 3rd in Hitting Percentage (.394)
* Lily Barber – 3rd in Aces/Set (0.33), 3rd in Digs/Set (4.10)
* Jenna Phelps – 4th in Hitting Percentage (.374)
* Joanna Chang – 4th in Aces/Set (0.31)
* Emma Worthington – 7th in Assists/Set (6.05), 10th in Aces/Set (0.27),
* Zoe Chamness – 8th in Assists/Set (5.68)
* Jillienne Bennett – 9th in Hitting Percentage (.306)
* Madison Baptiste – 9th in Kills/Set (2.83), 10th in Points/Set (3.08)

IVY RANKINGS:

Cornell is currently leading the Ivy League as a team in a league-high four statistical categories, including the following:
* Opponent Hitting Percentage (.165)
* Opponent Assists/Set (10.23)
* Opponent Kills/Set (10.87)
* Opponent Blocks/Set (1.76)
 
The Big Red also ranks second in the Ivy League in the following statistical categories:
* Hitting Percentage (.264)
* Assists/Set (12.81)
* Kills/Set (13.87)
* Blocks/Set (2.08)
* Aces/Set (1.43)
* Digs/Set (15.25)

YOU'VE BEEN SERVED:

The Big Red has stepped up to the serving line with confidence this season, as three Cornell student-athletes rank in the top-10 in the Ivy League in aces/set. Lily Barber ranks third (0.33), Joanna Chang sits fourth (0.31), and Emma Worthington ranks 10th (0.27).

MOVING ON UP:

The following Big Red student-athletes find themselves moving up the Cornell career records:
* Jenna Phelps – 6th in Block Assists (262), 10th in Total Blocks (292), 18th in Solo Blocks (30), 18th in Total Points (812.0), 25th in Kills (572)
* Lily Barber – 7th in Digs (1,099), 21st in Assists (329)
* Jada Stackhouse – 8th in Block Assists (242), 11th in Total Blocks (283), 16th in Solo Blocks (41)
* Zoe Chamness – 11th in Assists (1,495)
* Emma Worthington – 19th in Assists (466)

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 (60-56), 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.