ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red women's volleyball team will hit the road for the first time of the 2019 season when they travel west for the Bay Area Invitational Friday and Saturday, co-hosted by St. Mary's (Calif.) and San Francisco. Cornell will play two games at St. Mary's in Moraga, Calif. before closing out the tournament at San Francisco.

MATCH INFORMATION

Match #4: Cornell at St. Mary's (Calif.)
Match Time: Friday, Sept. 13, 2019 at 9 p.m. EDT
Match Site: McKeon Pavilion (Moraga, Calif.)
Series Record: St. Mary's (Calif.) leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Cornell lost, 0-3; Sept. 21, 2007
*2019 Records: Cornell (2-1, 0-0 Ivy); St. Mary's (2-4, 0-0 WCC)
Live Stats: https://smcgaels.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Live Video (WCC Network): https://watchstadium.com/live/cornell-at-saint-marys/
 
Match #5: Cornell vs. Utah State
Match Time: Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 at 2 p.m. EDT
Match Site: McKeon Pavilion (Moraga, Calif.)
Series Record: First Meeting
*2019 Records: Cornell (2-1, 0-0 Ivy); Utah State (0-7, 0-0 Mountain West)
Live Stats: https://smcgaels.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Live Video (WCC Network): https://watchstadium.com/live/cornell-vs-utah-state/ 
 
Match #6: Cornell at San Francisco
Match Time: Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 at 8 p.m. EDT
Match Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center (San Francisco, Calif.)
Series Record: San Francisco leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Cornell lost, 1-3; Sept. 11, 2015
*2019 Records: Cornell (2-1, 0-0 Ivy); San Francisco (3-3, 0-0 WCC)
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=269207  
Live Video (WCC Network): https://watchstadium.com/live/cornell-at-san-francisco/ 

*records prior to Friday's contests

THE BAY AREA INVITATIONAL: 

The Big Red will open the Bay Area Invitational Friday at 9 p.m. EDT when they take on the Gaels of St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. Cornell will then return to St. Mary's the next day to play a neutral site game against Utah State at 2 p.m. EDT, before traveling to San Francisco to close out the tournament against the Dons at 8 p.m. EDT.
 
All three of Cornell's contests will be broadcasted live on the WCC Network, and live stats will also be available for each match. Please refer to the links included, above.

WELCOME HOME: 

The Cornell roster contains three players from California – Lily Barber (Corte Madera), Riley Hazelrigg (Manhattan Beach) and Avery Hanan (Carlsbad). It will be an even more special homecoming for Barber, who resides just 14 miles from San Francisco.

THE SERIES VS. ST. MARY'S: 

Cornell will be seeking its first win against St. Mary's in program history, with the two teams having previously met two times and the Gaels winning both match-ups. The teams' most recent meeting was in 2007, when St. Mary's swept the Big Red, 3-0.

ABOUT ST. MARY'S:

St. Mary's (2-4) is coming off of a weekend that saw the team go 1-2 at the Thunderbird Classic, falling to Southern Utah (2-3) and Boise State (2-3) in a pair of five-set heartbreakers before beating Middle Tennessee (3-1). Freshman Kelsey Knudsen was named to the Thunderbird Classic All-Tournament team after registering 25 digs and 9 assists from the libero position over the three matches.

THE SERIES VS. UTAH STATE: 

For the second consecutive week, the Big Red will be taking on an opponent they have never faced before, as this is the first meeting between Cornell and Utah State. Last weekend, the Big Red played Youngstown State for the first time in program history, defeating the Penguins, 3-0.

ABOUT UTAH STATE:

Utah State will be seeking its first win of the season this weekend after opening the 2019 campaign 0-7. The Aggies dropped three matches last weekend at the North Portland Marriott Invitational, losing to Washington State (1-3), Idaho (0-3) and Portland (2-3).

THE SERIES VS. SAN FRANCISCO: 

Similar to St. Mary's, Cornell will look to take down the Dons of San Francisco this weekend for the first time in Big Red volleyball history. San Francisco holds a 3-0 series advantage over Cornell, most recently defeating the Big Red, 3-1, in 2015.

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO:

San Francisco (3-3) will play at home for the second-straight week after hosting the USF Invitational last weekend. The Dons picked up a pair of wins against UC Riverside (3-2) and IPFW (3-0), before falling in the tournament finale to Nevada (1-3). The Dons have been led so far this season by Kathya Garcia, who has registered 79 kills (4.16/set) and a .264 hitting percentage through six matches.

VS. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE:

The Big Red will face off against a pair of West Coast Conference opponents this weekend in St. Mary's and San Francisco. Cornell hasn't had the most success against the WCC over the years, holding a 1-6 record dating back to 1994. However, the Big Red has the chance to turn the tides this weekend. Cornell's lone win over the WCC came in 1994 when they defeated Portland, 3-1.

VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST:

Cornell is seeking its first win against the Mountain West, currently holding a 0-7 record against the conference. The Big Red has played Fresno State (0-2), Nevada (0-1), New Mexico State (0-1), San Diego State (0-2) and Wyoming (0-1) during the program's tenure.

THE CORNELL INVITATIONAL:

For the third year in a row, the Big Red finished second in the Cornell Invitational, falling to Hartford in the final game of the tournament, 3-2, in a five set battle. The Big Red finished the weekend with a 2-1 record, sweeping Youngstown State and Niagara.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: 

Jada Stackhouse and Jillienne Bennett both earned a spot on the Cornell Invitational 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 entering her fifth season (44-51), 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 compete in their final non-conference tournament of the season at the Buffalo Invitational on Sept. 20-21 in Buffalo, N.Y. Cornell will play a pair of matches Friday against Canisius (10:30 a.m. EDT) and Buffalo (6:30 p.m. EDT), before closing out the tournament against St. Francis (Pa.) at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday.