By: Illinois College became the first MWC opponent to take a set from Cornell College this season.
Box Score
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The Illinois College volleyball team didn't come away with a win on Friday night, but it did accomplish something that no other team in the Midwest Conference can claim up to this point in the season – take a set off of Cornell College. The Lady Blues were 3-1 victims (17-25, 25-22, 14-25, 18-25) to the Rams, but in the process broke up Cornell's streak of 19 consecutive sets won against MWC teams. Cornell moved to 15-6 (7-0 MWC) with the win, while IC slipped to 13-9 (3-3 MWC) in defeat.
The Rams rode conference kills leader Diamond Boyd to the victory as she notched 21 kills against only one attack error in the match. That attack error came on the second point of the first set and tied the score at 1-1, but with the score 12-11 in favor of Cornell, the Rams scored five straight with three kills from Boyd to extend to a 17-11 lead and eventually pull away for the first-set win.
Illinois College had a hitting percentage of .308 as a team in the second set as Cornell struggled. The set went back and forth the whole way, but after Cornell took a 19-17 lead, two kills from
Lisa Lowry, one from
Brenna Garland and a Cornell attack error gave IC the 21-19 edge. With the score 24-22, Illinois College put it away on an
Ali Pankey kill to level the match at 1-1.
Unfortunately for the Lady Blues, Cornell regrouped and put the match away from there. The third set was tied at 6-6 until the Rams used a four-point swing to open up a comfortable margin and pull away for a 25-14 win.
In the fourth set, Illinois College went ahead 5-3 only to give up six unanswered. Trailing 21-11, IC notched four straight point but could get no closer as Cornell closed it out.
Lowry and Pankey led the Illinois College offense with 14 and 13 kills, respectively.
Elizabeth Ganley once again had a double-double with 38 assists and 12 digs.
Cheyanne Jockisch led the Lady Blues with 14 digs, while
Katie Tonry added 13.
Illinois College returns to action tomorrow with a 1 p.m. start time at Grinnell College.
