ITHACA, N.Y. – After defeating Columbia to start the second half of Ivy League play, the Cornell volleyball team will look to keep building momentum as its five-match home stand continues against Yale on Friday at 7 p.m. and Brown on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
Game Information:
Cornell vs. Yale
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2021 at 7 p.m.
SITE: Newman Arena – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Cornell 6-10, 2-6 Ivy League / Yale 12-5, 5-3 Ivy League
BROADCAST: ESPN+ (es.pn/3pHYOVr)
STATS: cornellbigred.com (cornellbigred.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary)
GAME NOTES
Cornell vs. Brown
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021 at 5 p.m.
SITE: Newman Arena – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Cornell 6-10, 2-6 Ivy League / Brown 14-4, 7-1 Ivy League
BROADCAST: ESPN+ (es.pn/2ZpQQW6)
STATS: cornellbigred.com (cornellbigred.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary)
GAME NOTES
What's on Tap:
• After starting the second half of Ivy League action with a win over Columbia, Cornell will look to keep building momentum as it prepares to take on a pair of opponents that currently sit among the top-three of the Ivy League standings in Yale on Friday at 7 p.m. and Brown on Saturday at 5 p.m.
• The two matches are part of a five-match home stand for the Big Red, as Cornell will also play host to Dartmouth and Harvard next weekend on Nov. 5-6.
• This weekend's match will be broadcast on ESPN+, along with every one of Cornell's Ivy League contests for the remainder of the season. ESPN+ is available to fans in the U.S. for $4.99/event, $6.99/month, or $69.99/year (http://plus.espn.com/). A similar international platform at the same price point is available for fans outside of the U.S., featuring both live and archived games.
Last Time Out:
• In a five-set battle against Columbia at Newman Arena, the Big Red persevered, defeating the Lions, 3-2 (25-23, 25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 15-10), on Saturday, Oct. 23.
• It was the sister act of Madison and Rylee Baptiste that lifted Cornell to victory against the Lions, as M. Baptiste posted a season-best and match-high 21 kills to go along with 18 digs for her second-straight double-double and fourth of the season.
• It was her sister R. Baptiste that set her up for success, as she collected a match-high and career-best 51 assists in just her second career start.
• Casey Justus was another key reason the Big Red ended Saturday in the win column, matching her career-high in kills (17) while hitting .385 and adding a team-high four blocks.
• Joanna Chang notched a double-double of her own with 12 digs and 10 kills.
• Libero Jackie Baker was a dig-machine in the back row, collecting a team-high and career-best 20 digs.
Ivy League Rookie of the Week:
• After her standout performance against the Lions, Rylee Baptiste was named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Week on Oct. 25.
• Baptiste's match-high and career-best 51 assists was more than Columbia recorded as a team in the match (47).
• Her assist total is tied for fourth in the conference for a five-set match this season and tied for 10th in the Ivy League among all matches.
• The award marks the first weekly honor for the Big Red this season.
About Yale:
• Yale enters Friday's match sitting tied for third in the Ivy League with a 12-5 overall and 5-3 conference record after securing a huge win over Brown in Providence, R.I. last Friday.
• The Bulldogs took down the Bears on the road in a five-set thriller, 3-2, (25-17, 26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 15-13), to hand Brown its first Ivy League loss of the season and snap the Bears' 10-match winning streak.
• Kathryn Attar and Carly Diehl both posted double-doubles in the win, with Attar collecting 15 kills and a team-best 19 digs in route to being selected as the Ivy League Player of the Week. Diehl tallied 34 assists and 16 digs.
• Yale has made teams pay from the serving line this season, as the Bulldogs lead the Ivy League and rank 20th nationally as a team in aces per set (1.86). Yale has four student-athletes that rank in the top-10 in the conference in service aces per set, as Carly Diehl ranks fourth (0.38), Mila Yarich and Cara Schultz are tied for fifth (0.35), and Maile Somera sits seventh (0.33).
• Carly Diehl has made her biggest impact in the assists category, ranking fourth in the Ivy League in assists per set (9.34).
• Maile Somera ranks third in the conference and 61st nationally in digs per set (4.59).
The Series vs. Yale:
• Yale owns a 48-26 series advantage over the Big Red dating back to 1976.
• The Bulldogs have won 24 of the last 25 meetings between the two teams, including the teams' first meeting earlier this season which resulted in a Yale sweep, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22), on Oct. 2 in New Haven, Conn.
• Cornell's last victory over the Bulldogs came in 2017, when Cornell swept Yale, 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-19) on Nov. 10, 2017 at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
About Brown:
• Brown sits atop the Ivy League with Princeton, boasting a 7-1 conference and 14-4 overall record.
• Prior to its heartbreaking 3-2 (25-17, 26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 15-13) loss to Yale at home last Friday, the Bears' 7-0 start to Ivy League play was tied for the team's best start in league play in program history.
• Brown was also on a 10-match winning streak and was just one-win shy of tying the longest winning streak in school history which was set during the 1998 season.
• Middle blocker Beau Vanderlaan leads the Ivy League and ranks 38th in all of Division I in hitting percentage (.390), while also sitting 10th in the conference in blocks per set (0.94).
• Sophia Miller and Kate Sheire have been a dynamic duo on offense, ranking sixth (3.39) and seventh (3.18), respectively, in the Ivy League in kills per set. The pair also ranks sixth (3.79) and seventh (3.68), respectively, in the conference in points per set.
• Miller has been named the Ivy League Player of the Week a league-high three times this season, while Sheire swept the conference's weekly awards single-handedly on Sept. 27, being named the Player and Rookie of the Week.
• Victoria Vo, Zoe Ubamadu, and Cierra Jenkins all rank among the top-three of the conference in various statistical categories, with Vo sitting second in the Ivy League in digs per set (4.72), Ubamadu ranking second in blocks per set (1.11), and Jenkins sitting third in assists per set (10.30).
• Jenkins was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Oct. 18.
The Series vs. Brown:
• Cornell holds a 46-27 record in the all-time series dating back to 1976, including winning eight of the last 10 contests between the two teams.
• The Bears won the most recent battle, however, defeating Cornell, 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 15-25), on Oct. 1 in Providence.
• The Big Red has emerged victorious in the last three meetings at Newman Arena.
Justus For All:
• Casey Justus is putting together a senior season to be proud of, currently leading the Big Red in blocks (39.0) and hitting percentage (.357) while ranking second on the team in kills (147).
• Her hitting percentage of .357 so far this season sits fourth in the Ivy League and in the top-75 in the nation at 61st, as well as sixth in Cornell history for a single season.
• Over the first half of Ivy League play, Justus is averaging 11.0 kills and 2.88 blocks per match while hitting .378.
Finding Her Groove:
• Freshman middle blocker Camryn Carlo finds her groove more and more each match, currently sitting tied for third in the Ivy League in blocks per set (1.00) and tied for seventh in hitting percentage (.328).
• She's become a consistent presence in the starting line-up for the Big Red, getting the starting nod in Cornell's last six contests and ranking second on the Big Red in blocks (22.0) and hitting percentage (.315) in Cornell's eight Ivy League matches.
You've Been Served:
• Sophomore defensive specialist Kate Stration has been a force to be reckoned with from the serving line this season, ranking second in the Ivy League and 27th in the nation in aces per set (0.46).
• She's tallied 19 aces so far this year, highlighted by five matches with double-digit aces. Her five aces against St. John's on Sept. 3 ranks seventh all-time in program history for a four-set match.
• Stration is one of four Big Red student-athletes with double-digit aces this season alongside Jackie Baker (16), Emma Worthington (15), and Joanna Chang (12).
By the Numbers:
• 9 – Emma Worthington has posted nine dig-assist double-doubles in 15 matches played this season.
• 10 – Madison Baptiste had amassed double-digit kills in 10 out of 16 matches this season, including posting four dig-assist double-doubles, two of which came in Cornell's two most recent matches.
• 13 – Jackie Baker has posted double-digit digs in 13 of Cornell's 16 matches this season, highlighted by a career-best 20-dig performance against Columbia on Oct. 23. She ranks sixth in the Ivy League in digs per set (3.62).
Set for Success:
• With under two seasons of match action under her belt, Worthington's 989 career assists already ranks 16th all-time in Big Red history.
Leaving Their Marks:
• Seniors Madison Baptiste and Jillienne Bennett continue to leave their marks on the Cornell volleyball program, currently sitting on the Big Red's career record lists.
• Baptiste ranks 15th in Cornell history in career kills per set (2.78) and 18th in career points per set (3.08).
• Bennett ranks 16th in career attack percentage (.260).
Cornell in the Ivy Individual Rankings:
• Kate Stration ranks second in the conference in service aces per set (0.46).
• Camryn Carlo ranks third in the conference in blocks per set (1.00) and eighth in hitting percentage (.328).
• Sydney Moore ranks third in the conference in blocks per set (1.00).
• Casey Justus ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.357).
• Emma Worthington ranks fifth in the conference in assists per set (9.02) and 10th in digs per set (3.19).
• Jackie Baker ranks sixth in the conference in digs per set (3.62).
• Madison Baptiste ranks eighth in the conference in points per set (3.39) and ninth in kills per set (3.02).
Big Red Statistical Leaders:
• In kills – Madison Baptiste (169)
• In assists – Emma Worthington (478)
• In service aces – Kate Stration (19)
• In digs – Jackie Baker (210)
• In blocks – Casey Justus (39.0)
• In hitting percentage – Casey Justus (.357)
The All-Tournament Team Trifecta:
• Senior middle blocker Casey Justus went-three-for-three in the All-Tournament Team department during nonconference action, having earned a spot on each of the Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel Volleyball Classic, Cornell Invitational, and Duke Classic All-Tournament teams.
All-Hail the All-Tournament:
• Emma Worthington added an MVP accolade to her resume this fall, being named the Most Valuable Player of UAlbany's Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel Volleyball Classic. Joanna Chang and Justus joined Worthington on the All-Tournament Team.
• Rookie libero Jackie Baker earned an All-Tournament team selection following the Cornell Invitational, while Jillienne Bennett did so at the Duke Classic.
• Trudy Vande Berg is now in her seventh season as the Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball at Cornell, owning a 67-67 record.
• The 2017 Ivy League Coach of the Year, Vande Berg helped Cornell finish third in the conference in three-straight seasons from 2017-19.
• Vande Berg is assisted by associate head coach Caitlin Mahoney Hager and assistant coach Aaron DeKalb. Hager was promoted from assistant to associate head coach prior to the 2020 season after seven successful seasons on staff. DeKalb returns to the sideline in 2021 for his second coaching stint with the Big Red, having also been on staff with Vande Berg and Hager as an assistant from 2016-18. He most recently served as an assistant coach at the University of Mary for two seasons.
Up Next:
• The Cornell volleyball team will play its final two home matches of the season when it squares off against Dartmouth on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Harvard on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.
