By: Cornell swept Illinois College on Friday night to pick up its third consecutive Midwest Conference title.
Box Score MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – On Friday night, the Illinois College volleyball team was a first-hand witness to what it hopes to one day be. Falling to Cornell College, 3-0 (15-25, 15-25, 14-25), the Lady Blues were on the losing end of a Rams victory that clinched a third consecutive Midwest Conference regular season title.
A quick start would have been necessary to knock off the Rams on their home court. Though IC went ahead, 5-2, in the first set after a kill from
Holly Crocher, Cornell responded with six straight points to take an 8-5 lead.
Erin Satterlee had three of her four kills on the night in the first set and she tied the set at 9-9, but the next three points went to the Rams and they didn't trail again.
The second set was much the same way. Illinois College battled hard to stay with the Rams early on in the set and had a 9-8 lead after a Cornell attack error. Unfortunately, against the opponent that IC was up against, any lapse can prove costly. Nine of the following 10 points were scored by the Rams, giving them a 17-10 lead. The Lady Blues would get no closer than five points after that, giving Cornell a 2-0 edge in the match.
Cornell made no mistake in the third set, ripping off nine of the first 11 points to set the tone. The Rams' lead grew to 14 points late in the set before IC was able to launch a late rally. Nevertheless, the advantage held up for Cornell and the team was able to celebrate a conference title on its home floor.
Crocher had a team-high nine kills for Illinois College in the match. The junior also led IC with a .438 hitting percentage.
Courtney Louveau notched 14 digs and was tied with
Lisa Lowry for the team high in assists with nine in the match.
With the loss on Friday, Illinois College's Midwest Conference Tournament aspirations were ended. The Lady Blues (6-16, 3-6 MWC) will finish up the MWC regular season on Saturday against Grinnell at 1 p.m.
