ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell volleyball team (15-4, 8-2) will play its final two home matches of the season against Yale on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. and Brown on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
 
The Big Red's match against Brown on Saturday will serve as Cornell's senior day, as the team will celebrate the careers of Jenna Phelps, Jada Stackhouse, Lily Barber, Samanta Arenas, Katie Randolph, and Sophia Beaudoin.

MATCH INFORMATION

Match #20: Cornell vs. Yale
Match Time: Friday, Nov. 8, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Match Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Series Record: Yale leads, 46-26
Last Meeting: Yale won, 3-1; Oct. 19, 2019 (New Haven, Conn.)
2019 Records: Cornell (15-4, 8-2 Ivy League); Yale (12-7, 8-2 Ivy League)
Live Video (ESPN+): es.pn/2ChOglX
Live Stats: bit.ly/2lIA40d
 
Match #21: Cornell vs. Brown
Match Time: Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019 at 5 p.m.
Match Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 45-26
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-0; Oct. 18, 2019 (Providence, R.I.)
2019 Records: Cornell (15-4, 8-2 Ivy League); Brown (12-8, 4-6 Ivy League)
Live Video (ESPN+): es.pn/32kzfdU
Live Stats: bit.ly/2lIA40d
 
*Records prior to Friday's contests.

THE WEEKEND:

After splitting a pair of contests with Princeton and Penn last weekend, the Big Red currently sits in a tie for second-place in the Ivy League with Yale, as both teams own an 8-2 conference record. In order to keep pace with Princeton, who sits atop the Ivy League at 9-1, Cornell's match against Yale on Friday holds significant weight. Both the Big Red and Bulldogs are knocking on the door of a conference title, and need to do everything in their power to avoid putting another mark in the loss column. The Big Red are also seeking revenge on the Bulldogs after Yale defeated Cornell, 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 15-25, 22-25), earlier this season, snapping Cornell's 11-game win streak and handing the Big Red its first conference loss. Given all of this, the stakes of Friday's contest are undoubtedly high.
 
Saturday's match against Brown is significant as well, as the Bears are coming off of its first weekend sweep since 2014. After beating Harvard in five sets, 3-2, and Dartmouth in four, 3-1, last weekend, Brown is coming into the weekend hot and will look to keep building on its two-game win streak.

THE SERIES VS. YALE:

Yale owns a 46-26 series advantage over the Big Red dating back to 1976. The Bulldogs have won 22 of the last 23 meetings between the two teams, including a 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 15-25, 22-25) victory over Cornell in New Haven, Conn. earlier this season. With so much on the line, the Big Red will do its best to stun Yale and give the Bulldogs a taste of their own medicine.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

Yale is coming off of a weekend that saw the Bulldogs sweep Dartmouth, 3-0, before being upset by Harvard, 3-1. The Bulldogs will look to bounce back on Friday against the Big Red, but Cornell will attempt to kick Yale while they are down. Despite the loss to Harvard, Yale has still been solid as the season has progressed, winning 12 of its last 14 matches.
 
The Bulldogs have been led this season by senior setter Frances Arnautou, who ranks second in the Ivy League in assists/set (9.86). She is a key reason why sophomore middle blocker Samantha Bray (.387) and senior middle blocker Izzy Simqu (.326) rank fifth and seventh, respectively, in the Ivy League in hitting percentage. Rebekah Nemeth and Yurika Boyd have also been a vital part of Yale's success, as Nemeth ranks ninth in the Ivy League in kills/set (2.77) and Boyd sits seventh in digs/set (3.43).
 
As a team, the Bulldogs lead the conference in opponent service aces, holding the opposition to just 1.02 aces/set.

THE SERIES VS. BROWN:

Cornell has held the series advantage over Brown since the two teams first squared off in 1976. The Big Red owns a 45-26 record in the all-time series, winning 25 of the last 38 meetings, including the last six matchups. Cornell swept the Bears, 3-0, in Providence, R.I. earlier this season, and if the Big Red can get the win on Saturday, it would mark the third-consecutive season sweep of Brown.

SCOUTING THE BEARS:

The Bears enter the weekend's contests with 12-8 overall record and 4-6 conference record. The Bears sit in a tie for fourth place in the Ivy League with Columbia after downing Harvard, 3-2, and Dartmouth, 3-1, last weekend and recording their first weekend sweep since 2014.
 
Senior outside hitter Makena Ehlert, sophomore setter Kristin Sellers, and freshman outside hitter Sophia Miller have been the catalysts for Brown this season. The trio ranks in the top-10 of the Ivy League in multiple statistical categories, including the following:
* Ehlert – 2nd in kills/set (3.33), 2nd in points/set (3.80), 7th in aces/set (0.28)
* Sellers – 6th in assists/set (6.43), 8th in aces/set (0.28)
* Miller – 3rd in kills/set (3.24), 4th in points/set (3.59), 10th in aces/set (0.27)

As a team, Brown is tied for first in the conference in blocks/set (2.09).

THANK YOU SENIORS:

Saturday's game will be the final home contest 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 15 wins have been 3-0 sweeps. Coincidentally, Yale has recorded 10, 3-0 victories this season as well.

#WINNING:

With its 15 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 IVY LEAGUE LANDSCAPE:

With four Ivy League matches remaining for each team, Princeton currently sits atop the conference with a 9-1 record after beating the Big Red, 3-2 (19-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-12), last Friday and defeating Columbia, 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 28-26), on Saturday. Cornell and Yale remain in title contention, each sitting one game back from the Tigers with conference records of 8-2.

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 1,062 digs for her career, and that number is still growing.

A RARE FEAT:

With four matches remaining in her career, Barber has also surpassed the 300 assist plateau, having recorded 319 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 (.396) and Jenna Phelps (.394) have been among the most accurate attackers in the nation this season, as the pair ranks 25th and 29th, respectively, in hitting percentage in all of Division I.  At the rate she is going, Phelps is on pace to finish third all-time in career hitting percentage at Cornell, currently sitting at .316 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:
* 20th in Hitting Percentage (.271)
* 30th in Kills/Set (13.80)
* 32nd in Opponent Hitting Percentage (.166)
* 35th in Assists/Set (12.75)
* 37th in Match W-L Percentage (.789)

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 (1.16), 3rd in Hitting Percentage (.396)
* Lily Barber – 3rd in Aces/Set (0.32), 3rd in Digs/Set (4.04)
* Jenna Phelps – 4th in Hitting Percentage (.394)
* Joanna Chang – 4th in Aces/Set (0.31)
* Madison Baptiste – 7th in Kills/Set (2.79), 9th in Points/Set (3.04)
* Emma Worthington – 7th in Assists/Set (6.14), 9th in Aces/Set (0.28),
* Zoe Chamness – 8th in Assists/Set (5.61)
* Jillienne Bennett – 8th in Hitting Percentage (.323)

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 (.166)
* Opponent Assists/Set (10.08)
* Opponent Kills/Set (10.72)
* Opponent Blocks/Set (1.75)
 
The Big Red also ranks second in the Ivy League in the following statistical categories:
* Hitting Percentage (.270)
* Assists/Set (12.75)
* Kills/Set (13.80)
* Aces/Set (1.49)
* Digs/Set (14.97)

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 (0.32), Joanna Chang sits fourth (0.31), and Emma Worthington ranks ninth (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 (258), 10th in Total Blocks (288), 18th in Solo Blocks (30), 21st in Total Points (796.0), 26th in Kills (558)
* Lily Barber – 9th in Digs (1,062), 21st in Assists (319)
* Jada Stackhouse – 10th in Block Assists (231), 11th in Total Blocks (269), 16th in Solo Blocks (38)
* Zoe Chamness – 11th in Assists (1,445)
* Emma Worthington – 19th in Assists (424)

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 (59-55), 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 close out the regular season on the road when it travels to Harvard on Friday, Nov. 15 for a 7 p.m. first serve before heading to Dartmouth on Nov. 16 for a 5 p.m. match.