Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
 
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The 2026 Midwest Conference volleyball champion came down to the final day of conference play, and Cornell College won its 14th consecutive MWC crown with a 3-1 (16-25, 25-18, 25-22, 27-25) home win over Lawrence University in a battle of conference unbeatens.
 
The first set on Saturday was tight at the onset, as Cornell led 10-9. However, Lawrence responded with a set-ending 16-6 run, claiming a 1-0 lead. The Vikings then raced out to a 4-0 lead in set two, however, the Rams countered with the next seven points and never trailed the rest of the set. Six consecutive points at the tail end of the set gave Cornell a 21-12 lead, and the hosts won the frame soon after.
 
Set three was all Lawrence at the beginning as the Vikings led by five on multiple occasions, with the latest coming at 14-9. However, an 11-3 spurt by Cornell gave the hosts a 20-17 lead. Lawrence tied the frame at 20 and then trailed 23-22, but a kill and a block gave Cornell the 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Both teams were jockeying for position throughout most of the fourth set, but it was Cornell who pulled ahead 23-19 late. Lawrence stormed back, scoring five consecutive points and had set points at both 24-23 and 25-24. However, Cornell scored the final three points of the frame to claim the match 3-1.
 
Ally Olmstead and Ashlin Nottestad each had 12 kills to lead all players. Nia Howard had 20 assists, while Grace Tverberg had 19. Kensie Staats (25) and Nottestad (21) each recorded double-digit digs.
 
Lawrence was led offensively by Bella Van Lannen and her 11 kills. Hallie Neill had 22 assists and Makenna Rettler had 18, while three Vikings tallied 10+ digs: Meg Pfannerstill (15), Amanda Vlkovic (14) and Rettler (12).
 
Cornell (14-8) closes out the regular season next week with a road match at UW-Platteville (November 4) and a home contest against Coe (November 6).
 
Cornell will be the top seed at the 2026 Midwest Conference Volleyball Tournament. The Rams will host the semifinals and final of the tournament on Friday and Saturday (November 13-14). The six qualifying teams will compete for the MWC Team Tournament title and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. Tournament action begins on Tuesday, November 10 with a pair of quarterfinal matches hosted by the third and fourth seeds. Lawrence is the #2 seed, while Grinnell College (#3), Illinois College (#4), Monmouth College (#5) and Lake Forest College (#6) have also qualified for the postseason.
 
The Rams are seeking their sixth consecutive MWC Tournament title (and sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance).
 
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