Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
 
OSHKOSH, Wis. – The Cornell College volleyball program fell 3-2 (25-17, 25-27, 24-26, 25-11, 15-13) to Dubuque on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Kolf Sports Center.
 
The sides went back-and-forth in the opening frame, as five consecutive points for Dubuque gave the Spartans a 12-6 lead. Cornell’s deficit grew nine on multiple occasions, and UD took the first set by eight.
 
Cornell rallied in set two, fighting off a 19-15 deficit. The Rams went on a mini 3-0 run late in the set to pull in front 22-21, and with the score tied at 24, claimed three of the final four points in the frame to even the match at one set apiece.
 
The Rams took control of the match in set three, pulling in front 12-9 after four consecutive points. Dubuque answered with a 3-0 run to lead 19-17, but Cornell would not go away. Trailing 23-21 in the set, three-straight points gave Cornell a set point. Even though the opposition knotted the score at 24, back-to-back kills by Cornell gave the Rams a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Set four was all Dubuque. With Cornell ahead 3-1, the Spartans scored the next six points but the Rams did vault in front 9-8. However, seven consecutive points by the Spartans put the set out of reach, and UD won 10 of the final 11 points in the set to force a fifth.
 
Each team held leads throughout the fifth set, with Cornell’s last lead coming at 10-9. The Spartans led 13-11 and 14-12 in the frame, but the Rams refused to go down. However, a kill ended the match for Dubuque, giving the Spartans the win.
 
Offensively, Hannah Cantwell and Ashlin Nottestad paced Cornell with 14 kills apiece, while Ally Olmstead was also in double figures with 10. Nia Howard had a team-high 23 assists, while Grace Tverberg chipped in 17. Five Rams recorded double-digit digs: Ella Becker (31), Cantwell (24), Sully Downey (16), Howard (12) and Kensie Staats (10).
 
Cornell ends its season with a 19-11 record. The Rams won the Midwest Conference tournament crown for the fifth consecutive season, and claimed the league’s regular season title for the 13th season in a row.