ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell volleyball team will wrap up its month-long road stint when it goes head-to-head with Ivy League foes Brown on Friday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, R.I. and Yale on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. at the John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn.
Game Information:
Cornell at Brown
DATE/TIME: Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 at 7 p.m.
SITE: Pizzitola Sports Center – Providence, R.I.
RECORDS: Cornell 4-5, 0-1 Ivy League / Brown 8-3, 1-0 Ivy League
BROADCAST: ESPN+ (es.pn/3ikwPH3)
STATS: brownbears.com (brownbears.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary)
GAME NOTES
Cornell at Yale
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 at 5 p.m.
SITE: John J. Lee Amphitheater – New Haven, Conn.
RECORDS: Cornell 4-5, 0-1 Ivy League / Yale 7-3, 0-1 Ivy League
BROADCAST: ESPN+ (es.pn/3CWiuIv)
STATS: yalebulldogs.com (yalebulldogs.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary)
GAME NOTES
What's on Tap:
• The Cornell volleyball team will look to get back in the win column this weekend and pick up its first Ivy League victory when it squares off against Brown on Friday and Yale on Saturday.
• This weekend's contests will be the last road matches before the Big Red returns home to host Princeton and Penn on Oct. 8-9, respectively, at Newman Arena. The last time Cornell played at home was in the annual Cornell Invitational on Sept. 10-11.
• This weekend's matches 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:
• Cornell opened Ivy League play at Columbia last weekend, falling to the Lions, 3-1 (17-25, 19-25, 30-28, 22-25), despite a hard fight and a victory in what turned out to be a marathon third set.
• Senior outside hitter Madison Baptiste registered a career-high and team-best 20 digs to go along with a team-high 12 kills in the loss, posting her first double-double of the season.
• Cornell's blocking presence against the Lions was something to take note of, as the Big Red out-blocked Columbia, 11.0 (four solo, 14 assisted) to 5.0 (10 assisted). Sydney Moore controlled the play at the net, collecting a match-high and career-best six blocks (one solo, five assisted).
• Jillienne Bennett, Avery Hanan, Casey Justus, and Baptiste all recorded multiple blocks on the day as well. The match against Columbia marked the third-straight contest that the Big Red has out-blocked its opponent.
• Emma Worthington secured a double-double of her own, her seventh in nine matches so far this season, finishing with a team-high 20 assists and 14 digs.
About Brown:
• Brown opened Ivy League play against its travel partner at Yale last weekend, defeating the Bulldogs for the first time since 2015 in a five set thriller, 3-2 (19-25, 25-21, 25-18, 16-25, 15-13).
• With the victory, the Bears improved to 8-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Ivy League.
• Sophomore Kate Sheire's career day was the catalyst for Brown in the win, as she collected 21 kills and finished with a .413 hitting percentage, posting only two errors in 46 attempts. For her efforts, she was named both the Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Week this week.
• Beau Vanderlaan, who currently ranks second in the Ivy League in hitting percentage (.376), recorded 15 kills in the victory while hitting .480.
• The Bears have proved to be efficient on the attack so far this season, leading the Ivy League in hitting percentage as a team (.249).
• Brown returns Sophia Miller, a 2019 first team All-Ivy performer and unanimous Rookie of the Year. She currently ranks seventh in the conference in kills per set (3.23) and points per set (3.56).
• Zoe Ubamadu leads the conference in blocking (1.19 blocks per set), while Victoria Vo ranks third in digs per set (4.35). Vo collected a career-high 34 digs in Brown's win over Yale.
The Series vs. Brown:
• Cornell holds a 46-26 record in the all-time series dating back to 1976, including winning the last seven contests between the two teams.
• The Big Red swept the Bears, 3-0, the last time to two teams faced off in Providence, R.I. in 2019.
• In the team's last meeting, Cornell beat Brown, 3-1, at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. on Nov. 9, 2019. Madison Baptiste notched 12 kills and 13 digs for her fourth-straight double-double.
About Yale:
• Yale, the preseason conference favorite, dropped its Ivy opener to Brown, 3-2 (25-19, 21-25, 18-25, 25-16, 13-15), losing to the Bears for the first time in five seasons.
• With the loss, Yale dropped to 7-3 overall and 0-1 in the Ivy League.
• Bonnie Bostic had a team-high 19 kills in the loss and currently ranks ninth in the Ivy League in kills per set (3.00).
• Maile Somera, who sits second in the conference in digs per set (4.78) collected 27 digs against the Bears.
• The Bulldogs were chosen as the preseason favorite to win the conference, being selected first overall in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll. The Bulldogs received 10 of the possible 16 first place votes for a total of 122 points.
• Yale shared the Ivy League crown with Princeton in 2019, ultimately falling to the Tigers in the Ivy League play-off, 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 24-26, 15-25).
• The Bulldogs currently lead the Ivy League in a number of statistical categories, including service aces per set (1.83), opponent hitting percentage (.164), opponent assists per set (9.86), opponent kills per set (11.33), and opponent service aces per set (0.86).
• Gigi Barr (.366) and Fatima Samb (.307) rank fourth and eighth, respectively, in the conference in hitting percentage.
• Carly Diehl sits third in the conference in assists per set (9.82) and sixth in service aces per set (0.39).
The Series vs. Yale:
• Yale owns a 47-26 series advantage over the Big Red dating back to 1976.
• The Bulldogs have won 23 of the last 24 meetings between the two teams, including both contests during the 2019 season.
• Knocking off the Bulldogs on the road would be a feat for Cornell, as the last time the Big Red won in New Haven was five set victory on Oct. 28, 2005.
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 22nd in the nation in aces per set (0.53).
• She's already racked-up 16 aces in just nine 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, individually recording more assists than the opposing team as a whole in four of the Big Red's nine matches so far this season.
• In addition, Worthington has posted seven dig-assist double-doubles in nine matches.
• With less than a season and a half of match action under her belt, Worthington's 814 career assists already ranks 17th 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, each already ranking among the Big Red's career record lists.
• Based on her numbers following the 2019 season, Baptiste ranks 15th in Cornell history in career kills per set (2.68), 19th in career digs per set (2.56), and 19th in career points per set (2.92).
• Bennett ranks 11th in career attack percentage (.264).
Dig Big Red:
• As a team, the Big Red ranks second in the Ivy League and 42nd in all of Division I in digs per set (16.41).
• Emma Worthington (3.53) and Jackie Baker (3.34) have put their defensive skills on display, ranking eighth and ninth in the conference, respectively, in digs per set.
Cornell in the Ivy Individual Rankings:
• Kate Stration leads the conference in service aces per set (0.53).
• Emma Worthington ranks fourth in the conference in assists per set (9.47), seventh in service aces per set (0.34), and eighth in digs per set (3.53).
• Sydney Moore ranks fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.00).
• Madison Baptiste ranks eighth in the conference in kills per set (3.07) and points per set (3.42).
• Jackie Baker ranks ninth in the conference in digs per set (3.34).
• Joanna Chang ranks 10th in the conference in kills per set (3.00) and points per set (3.39).
Big Red Statistical Leaders:
• In kills – Madison Baptiste (92)
• In assists – Emma Worthington (303)
• In service aces – Kate Stration (16)
• In digs – Emma Worthington (113)
• In blocks – Sydney Moore (28.0)
• In hitting percentage – Casey Justus (.298)
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.
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.
• 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 65-62 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 Cornell volleyball team will return home for the first time in nearly a month for a pair of Ivy League contests at Newman Arena. The Big Red will take on 2019 Ivy League Champion and NCAA Qualifier Princeton on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. before hosting Penn on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 5 p.m.
