Contact: Jenna McElroy, Sports Info & Social Media Intern, mcelroy@midwestconference.org

GRINNELL, Iowa – Cornell College finished the Midwest Conference (MWC) volleyball season without a loss for the third straight season to extend its MWC Champions streak to seven years. As the number one seed, the Rams will serve as the host of the four team MWC Tournament November 2-3.

Cornell takes on the fourth seeded Illinois College Friday at 7 p.m. but before the Lady Blues participate in their first tournament since 2006, the number two seed Grinnell College faces the number three seed St. Norbert College at 4:30 p.m. The winner of each game will play in the championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday for the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.

Match one should be an intense and entertaining affair as the Pioneers and Green Knights played a five-set marathon in their regular season meeting. St. Norbert dominated the first and third sets but Grinnell broke the Green Knights streak of odd set victories by using a 7-0 run to pull away in the fifth set and win the match.

The Pioneers finished the regular season with their best conference record in program history at 7-2 and are led by sophomore outside hitter Kaylin Kuhn who ranks fifth in all Division III in points per set (5.15). Kuhn also is the conference leader in kills (436), kills per set (4.40), and services aces (55). She has been set up all season by Julianna Roth whose 9.86 assists per set is third in the league while her total assists rank eighth in the nation (1,124).

St. Norbert looks to avenge its regular season loss and advance to the championship game for the seventh straight year. The Green Knights are led by the trio of Grace Baumann, Lexi Van Hiel, and Halie Ferry. In just her first season, Baumann’s 3.80 kills per set ranks fourth in the conference and also contributed the team’s second highest dig total with 278 while fellow outside hitter Ferry recorded double-digit kills in seven of nine conference matches. Middle blocker Van Hiel is one of the league’s most efficient attackers with the top hitting percentage of .414 in MWC play and registered .83 blocks.

After a presentation of the All-Conference First and Second teams and the league award winners, the defending MWC Tournament Champions will hit the court. Cornell has earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons. In the regular season match between the Rams and Lady Blues, Illinois College almost became the second conference team to take a set from the MWC Champions as Cornell edged it 25-22, 25-23 in the second and third sets.

Illinois College enters the postseason on a seven game win streak and looks to take that momentum into the game against the Rams. The Lady Blues are led by three-time MWC Performer of the Week Elizabeth Ganley who ranks third in the nation with an assist per set average of 11.13 and recorded a double-double (assists-digs) in seven of nine conference matches. Ali Pankey and Maddie Ramsey took advantage of Ganley’s feeds as Pankey’s 3.66 kills per set ranks sixth in conference play while Ramsey led the league in hitting percentage at .342.

The trio will have to be on top of their game as the Lady Blues take on a Rams team also featuring one of the top setters and top hitters in the conference. Jillian Schulte ranks 12th in the nation in assists per set (10.79) and is 29 away from reaching 1,000 for the season. In nine conference matches, Nicole Ciari hit .351 and averaged four kills per set along with a league-best block average of one per set. Cornell has the most efficient hitting team in the conference as Allison Eikenberry (.408) and Alissa McEndaffer (.308) also rank in the league’s top five.

For more information and results head to the tournament page.