ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell women's volleyball team will open the 2019 season when they host the Cornell Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.

MATCH INFORMATION

Match #1: Cornell vs. Youngstown State
Match Time: Friday, Sept. 6, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Match Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Series Record: First Meeting
*2019 Records: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy); Youngstown State (3-0, 0-0 Horizon)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/wvball
Live Video (ESPN+): https://es.pn/2kimsJ7
 
Match #2: Cornell vs. Niagara
Match Time: Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019 at 11 a.m.
Match Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 11-1
Last Meeting: Cornell lost, 0-3; Sept. 3, 2011
*2019 Records: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy); Niagara (1-1, 0-0 MAAC)
Live Stats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/wvball
Live Video (ESPN+): https://es.pn/2kipmgW
 
Match #3: Cornell vs. Hartford
Match Time: Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019 at 6 p.m.
Match Site: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Series Record: Cornell leads, 6-1
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-2; Sept. 26, 2009
*2019 Records: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy); Hartford (1-2, 0-0 America East)
Live Stats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/wvball
Live Video (ESPN+): https://es.pn/2jZCcAl

*records prior to Friday's contests

THE CORNELL INVITATIONAL: 

The Big Red opens the 2019 season on Friday when they take on Youngstown State at 7 p.m. in the night cap of the first day of the Cornell Invitational. The following day, Cornell will face Niagara at 11 a.m. before finishing off the tournament with Hartford at 6 p.m.
 
The Cornell Invitational will get underway when Youngstown State and Niagara face off on Friday at 12 p.m. Additional games include Niagara vs. Hartford on Friday at 5 p.m. and Youngstown State vs. Hartford on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Parking on the Cornell campus is restricted on weekdays prior to 5 p.m. Visitors arriving on Friday before 5 p.m. will need to visit a Parking Information booth, as all lots around central campus require permits until that time. There are also several metered lots on campus that can be utilized.
 
For fans who cannot be in attendance, all six games of the Cornell Invitational will be available on ESPN+.

SEASON OPENERS: 

The Big Red is 28-16-1 all-time in season openers, including a solid 15-7 record since 1995. Last season, Cornell took down Buffalo in their season opener in a thrilling 3-2 victory at Newman Arena.

THE SERIES VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE:

Cornell will face off against Youngstown State for the first time in program history on Friday. After finishing the 2018 season with a 7-22 record and closing out the season on a 13-game losing streak, the Penguins are off to a hot start in 2019, opening the season with three-straight wins and boasting a 3-0 record.
 
Youngstown State won their home tournament, The Penguin Classic, last weekend with an unblemished record, defeating Saint Francis (Pa.) (3-0), Bucknell (3-1), and the Citadel (3-1). Brooklen Pe'a was named the MVP of the tournament after averaging 3.64 kills, 3.0 digs, and 0.64 blocks per game, while hitting .345. Aleah Hughes and Alexia Byrnes also earned spots on the all-tournament team. Hughes, a 2018 Horizon League All-Academic selection, averaged 3.64 kills and 3.55 digs per set over the course of the tournament, while Byrnes averaged 10.09 assists and 3.0 digs over the three matches.

THE SERIES VS. NIAGARA:

Cornell holds a distinct 11-1 advantage over the Purple Eagles dating back to 1979. Although Niagara has only taken down the Big Red once in the series' history, their lone victory came the last time the two teams played in 2011 when Niagara won three sets to none.
 
Niagara, who finished with a 9-19 overall record in 2018, opened the 2019 campaign by splitting a pair of matches at the FAU Invitational. The Purple Eagles fell to Stetson, 0-3, before defeating Grambling State, 3-0. Their third game of the tournament against Florida Atlantic was cancelled due to the threat of Hurricane Dorian.
 
Niagara is led this season by senior outside hitter Caroline Leitch who earned a spot on the All-MAAC second team in 2018 after tallying career highs in kills (299), digs (171), and blocks (60).

THE SERIES VS. HARTFORD: 

The Big Red holds a 6-1 series advantage over Hartford, dating back to 1988. The two teams' last meeting came in 2009 and was a grind-it-out five set win for Cornell (3-2).
 
The Hawks are coming off of a 2018 season that saw the team go 11-14. In the first weekend of the 2019 campaign, Hartford recorded a 1-2 record at the George Washington University Invitational, falling to Howard (0-3) and George Washington (0-3) before picking up their first win of the season against American (3-1). Jenna Bridges, the 2018 America East Player of the Year, started her senior season on a high note, averaging 3.88 kills/set and totaling 14 blocks over the three matches en route to America East Co-Player of the Week honors.

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 fourth 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 hits the west coast next weekend for the Bay Area Invitational, co-hosted by the University of San Francisco and St. Mary's College. Cornell will take on St. Mary's on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. ET. The following day, the Big Red will return to play Utah State at 2 p.m. ET before facing off against San Francisco at 8 p.m. ET.