Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Assistant Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
 
GRINNELL, Iowa — The 2019 Midwest Conference (MWC) Volleyball Tournament bracket is set and the four-team field will feature four teams from last year’s event. As the MWC regular-season champion, the Rams of Cornell College will host this year’s tournament November 8-9.
 
The Rams enter this year’s tournament as the No. 1 seed after securing their eighth consecutive regular-season title finishing 8-1 in the MWC and 17-10 overall. The Rams ended league play with a five-set nail biter (17-25, 15-25, 25-14, 25-21, 15-17) against the Grinnell College Pioneers that resulted in the Rams only Conference loss this season and the snapping of a 44-match MWC winning streak that dated back to 2015. The Pioneers also defeated the Rams in a non-Conference match at the start of the season (25-22, 25-20, 25-17).
 
Cornell will get another opportunity to avenge their losses against Grinnell as the Pioneers will enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed and take on the Rams in the second semifinal on Friday. The Pioneers will look to capitalize on the success they’ve had over the Rams this season and make a push for their first league Tournament title. Grinnell finished the season on a four-game win streak and finished 7-2 in league play and 24-4 overall.
 
The Green Knights of St. Norbert claimed the second seed for this year’s tournament and will face off in the first semifinal of the weekend against the No. 3 seed Lady Blues of Illinois College. During their only meeting of the season, the Green Knights topped the Lady Blues in a five-set thriller (22-25, 26-24, 23-24, 25-21, 15-6).
 
The Green Knights will look to return to the championship game and make a strong push for their sixth Conference Tournament title that will tie Cornell’s record which leads the league at this point.
 
Illinois College finished the season with a hot-handed three-game win streak, finishing 7-2 in the MWC and 21-7 overall. The Lady Blues are looking to compete for and win their first Tournament crown.
 
The winner of the two-day event will receive the MWC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
Semifinal Matchups – Friday, November 8
Semifinal #1 -- 4:30 PM - #2 St. Norbert College vs. #3 Illinois College
Semifinal #2 -- 7:00 PM* - #1 Cornell College vs. #4 Grinnell College
 
*at least one hour following the conclusion of Semifinal #1
 
Tournament Championship – Saturday, November 9
1:00 PM – Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2

For more information, visit the 2019 MWC Volleyball Tournament page.