MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The Illinois College volleyball team played well in a tough environment, but Cornell College made enough plays late in the match to earn a 3-0 win (25-15, 25-22, 25-23), over the Lady Blues on Friday night. The Rams solidify their grasp on first place in the Midwest Conference at 11-7 (6-0 MWC), while the Lady Blues fall to 15-5 (4-2 MWC).
The match got off to a rough start for Illinois College as Cornell notched 10 straight points to turn a 10-8 lead into a 20-8 cushion late in the set. The Lady Blues had 10 of their 20 attack errors in the match during that first set and were no match for the Rams early on.
The second set was when the match began to take shape. Illinois College hit .317 as a team, only to be outdone by Cornell's .514 team hitting percentage as the Rams survived a late IC surge to take a 2-0 lead. Cornell led midway through the set, 14-8, but Illinois College came back with five straight to get within a point. After falling behind again by as much as five, the Lady Blues rallied back to within one at 23-22 before the Rams held them off with the final two points.
In the third set, Cornell led by as many as seven points late in the set, only for Illinois College to rally once again. With the score 19-12,
Ali Pankey had a kill and later assisted on a block with
Maddie Ramsey to get within 19-15. Late in the set, another three-point swing from IC got the Lady Blues to within a point at 22-21. On the last five points of the night, the teams alternated side-outs and the final kill from Cornell gave them the 25-23 victory.
Pankey led IC on the night with 11 kills and eight digs.
MacKenzie Heinz had eight kills, while
Rebecca Shields had seven kills and seven digs. Cheyanne Jocksich led the Lady Blues on the night with 16 digs, while
Elizabeth Ganley had a double-double of 35 assists and 14 digs.
Tomorrow brings another important match IC's way. The Lady Blues will face Grinnell College (13-12, 4-1 MWC) on the road starting at 1 p.m.
