ITHACA, N.Y. – Ivy League action has arrived for the Cornell volleyball team, as the Big Red will open conference play against Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 at 2 p.m. at Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium in New York, New York.
Game Information:
Cornell at Columbia
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 at 2 p.m.
SITE: Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium – New York, N.Y.
RECORDS: Cornell 4-4, 0-0 Ivy League / Columbia 3-6, 0-0 Ivy League
BROADCAST: ESPN+ (es.pn/3AvHXrx)
STATS: gocolumbialions.com (gocolumbialions.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary)
GAME NOTES
What's on Tap:
• Ivy League play is officially here, as the Big Red will take on Columbia in its conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 at 2 p.m. at Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium in New York, New York.
• The 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:
• The Big Red played its final nonconference tournament of the season last weekend, heading south for the Duke Classic in Durham, N.C. Cornell went 1-1 on the weekend, sweeping LIU while being swept by Duke to advance to 4-4 on the season.
• Cornell sunk the LIU Sharks, 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-23), on Friday, Sept. 17. In a match that was full of momentum shifts, it was the Big Red who took control of the tides in pivotal moments en route to the team's second-consecutive straight set victory.
• The Big Red's blocking presence in the match was undeniable, out-blocking LIU 8.0 to 2.0. Casey Justus and Sydney Moore were key figures at the block party, with Justus collecting four block assists and Moore recording two block assists and a solo block.
• Jillienne Bennett (10), Madison Baptiste (9), and Casey Justus (9) combined for 28 of the Big Red's 40 kills, helping Cornell out-hit LIU on the match, .237 to .128. Baptiste was just one kill shy of a double-double, adding 14 digs.
• Playing in just the second match of her collegiate career, freshman Brooke Cooper also made an impact for Cornell, tallying a career-high seven kills.
• In its contest against the host Blue Devils on Saturday, Sept. 18, Cornell was defeated in three sets, 3-0 (22-25, 20-25, 20-25).
• Madison Baptiste was one of three Cornell student-athletes to amass double-digit digs, recording 10 to go along with a team-high eight kills. Emma Worthington (10) and Rylee Baptiste (12) also posted double-digits in the dig column. R. Baptiste's 12 digs was not only a team-high, but a collegiate-best.
• The Big Red out-blocked its opponent for the second-straight match against Duke, edging out the Blue Devils with 6.0 blocks as compared to 5.0. Freshman Camryn Carlo delivered in the block category, securing a solo block and a pair of block assists.
• Kate Stration has been lethal from the serving line all season, and that was no different at the Duke Classic. She notched three aces against the Blue Devils, more than half of Cornell's team total (5), and a pair of aces against LIU. Stration has now recorded multiple aces in a match in five of Cornell's eight games so far this season.
• Following the Duke Classic, Casey Justus and Jillienne Bennett were named to the All-Tournament Team.
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.
The Ivy Outlook:
• Cornell finished third in the Ivy League in each of the last three seasons in which it competed, including in 2019 when it posted an 8-4 record in conference play. This stretch marked the best seasons for the Big Red since the team won three conference titles followed by a second place finish from 2003-06.
• Cornell has been selected to finish third once again in 2021, per the Ivy League Preseason Poll. 2019 Ivy League co-champions Yale and Princeton were predicted to be the top-two teams in the league in 2021, with Yale being chosen as the preseason favorite to win the conference and Princeton being chosen second.
• Columbia, who finished sixth in the Ivy League with a 3-9 conference record in 2019, was predicted to place seventh this season.
About Columbia:
• Columbia currently holds a 3-6 record, including going 1-2 last weekend at the Maryland Challenge. The Lions picked up a 3-1 victory over Akron while falling to Stony Brook, 3-1, and the host Terrapins, 3-0.
• Following the Maryland Challenge, Cadence Gronski and Noelle Foster earned spots on the All-Tournament Team. Gronski finished the three-game weekend with 125 total assists for an average of 11.40 per set. Foster notched 46 kills while hitting .259 over three matches.
• This marked Foster's second-straight All-Tournament team selection, having also earned a spot on the Big Apple All-Tournament team, along with Vanessa Pan.
• Foster is one of the Columbia faces who will be looked upon to help fill the void of Chichi Ikwauzom, a 2019 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, the 2019 Ivy League Player of the Year, and a three-time first team All-Ivy selection over the course of her career.
• Foster is off to a solid start this season, currently ranking fourth in the conference in kills per set (3.78) and points per set (4.09).
• Cadence Gronski currently sits second in the Ivy League and 39th in all of Division I in assists per set (10.50).
• Soah Franklin is tied for sixth in the conference in blocks per set (0.89), while Vanessa Pan (3.50) and Shari Stenglein (3.44) sit eighth and ninth, respectively, in the Ivy League in digs per set.
The Series vs. Columbia:
• Cornell and Columbia will meet for the 71st time since 1977 on Saturday, with Cornell holding a commanding 56-14 series record.
• The Big Red swept the Lions in 2019, defeating Columbia, 3-0, both at Newman Arena and in the Big Apple.
• Cornell also won both matchups between the two schools in 2018.
You've Been Served:
• Sophomore defensive specialist Kate Stration has been on fire from the serving line so far this season, leading the Ivy League and ranking 21st in the nation in aces per set (0.57).
• She's already racked-up 16 aces in just eight matches 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.
Set for Success:
• Emma Worthington has been a consistent setting presence for the Big Red all-season long, currently ranking third in the Ivy League and 63rd in all of Division I in assists per set (10.11).
• She's individually recorded more assists than the opposing team as a whole in half of the Big Red's matches so far this season, along with posting six dig-assist double-doubles in eight matches.
Cornell in the NCAA Team Rankings:
• As a team, the Big Red ranks second in the Ivy League and 39th in all of Division I in digs per set (16.43).
• Cornell ranks third in the conference and 64th in the nation in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to just a 0.170 hitting percentage.
• With Kate Stration leading the charge, Cornell sits third in the Ivy League and 69th in the country in aces per set (1.71).
Cornell in the Ivy Individual Rankings:
• Kate Stration leads the conference in service aces per set (0.57).
• Emma Worthington ranks third in the conference in assists per set (10.11) and seventh in digs per set (3.54) and service aces per set (0.36).
• Sydney Moore ranks fifth in the conference in blocks per set (0.92).
• Casey Justus ranks seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.328).
• Madison Baptiste ranks eighth in the conference in kills per set (3.08) and points per set (3.40).
• Joanna Chang ranks ninth in the conference in kills per set (3.00) and points per set (3.39).
• Jackie Baker ranks 10th in the conference in digs per set (3.36).
Big Red Statistical Leaders:
• In kills – Madison Baptiste (80)
• In assists – Emma Worthington (283)
• In service aces – Kate Stration (16)
• In digs – Emma Worthington (99)
• In blocks – Sydney Moore (22.0)
• In hitting percentage – Casey Justus (.328)
A Look Back in Time:
• The Big Red posted its best season since 2006 in 2019 before the cancelation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, notching a 17-6 overall record, including an 8-4 mark in Ivy League play.
• The team's 17 wins in 2019 were the most for Cornell since the team won 18 matches in 2006.
The Landscape:
• The Big Red returns seven upperclassmen from the 2019 roster, including seniors Madison Baptiste, Jillienne Bennett, Avery Hanan, and Casey Justus and juniors Joanna Chang, Evan Reich, and Emma Worthington.
• Jillienne Bennett and Madison Baptiste both earned All-Ivy accolades in 2019, with Bennett being tabbed first team All-Ivy and Baptiste receiving second team distinction.
• Bennett ranked second on the Big Red in blocks and third in kills and points in 2019, while posting a .306 hitting percentage. She helped Cornell record the second-highest team single-season hitting percentage (.261) in program history.
• Madison Baptiste and Joanna Chang serve as dual threats, making an impact in the back row and at the net. Baptiste led the Big Red in kills (205), kills per set (2.81), and points per set (3.07), while ranking second in digs and digs per set in 2019.
• Chang owned Cornell's best receiving percentage in 2019, committing only 17 errors on 340 attempts, while ranking third on the team in digs per set and kills per set. She was a serving threat as well, sitting second on the team in aces and ranking third in the Ivy League in aces per set at the conclusion of the season.
• Setter Emma Worthington returns after serving as one of the team's two primary setters and leading the team in assists (511) in 2019.
• The remaining 10 student-athletes on the Big Red roster are in their first season of competition with the Big Red. The sophomore class of Rylee Baptiste, Sydney Moore, Alexa Orent, and Kate Stration will look to make an impact this year after not having the opportunity to do so in 2020.
• Freshmen Jackie Baker, Megan Bickel, Camryn Carlo, Brooke Cooper, Sammie Engel, and Jordan Quinones add even more fresh faces to the Big Red roster.
• The 2021 Cornell roster features a sister act in senior outside hitter Madison Baptiste and sophomore setter Rylee Baptiste.
• Trudy Vande Berg is now in her seventh season as the Wendy Schaenen '79 Head Coach of Volleyball at Cornell, owning a 65-61 record.
• The 2017 Ivy League Coach of the Year, Vande Berg has helped establish the Big Red as a top-tier team in the Ivy League, as Cornell has finished third in each of the last three seasons in which it has competed 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 Big Red's extended road tour continues when it travels to Brown on Friday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. and Yale on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. Cornell will finally return to Newman Arena for the first time in nearly a month when it hosts Princeton on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. and Penn on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 5 p.m.
