Volleyball News Releases
Dudgeon moves within 20 kills of career record
Coming up - Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Coe, Cedar Rapids, 6 p.m. (JV), 7:30 p.m. (varsity); Thursday, Sept. 17, vs. Mount Mercy, Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 6 p.m. (JV), 7:30 p.m. (varsity); Wednesday, Sept. 23, vs. Dubuque, Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 6 p.m. (JV), 7:30 p.m. (varsity).
Ram rewind - Cornell senior middle hitter Laura Dudgeon (Bettendorf/Bettendorf) moved within 20 kills of tying the program's career record in leading the Rams to a 2-3 mark last week.
The Rams were swept by league favorite Simpson (25-21, 25-11, 25-17) in the IIAC opener for both teams Sept. 9 in Indianola. Cornell finished 2-2 at the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament Sept. 11-12 in Bloomington, Ill. The Rams posted wins over Benedictine (25-21, 25-16, 25-23) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (25-18, 25-9, 23-25, 25-8) while falling to Illinois Wesleyan (25-20, 25-17, 25-14) and Beloit (25-20, 25-21, 24-26, 25-22).
Cornell, which started the season 5-0, moved to 7-3 overall and 0-1 in the IIAC.
"It was an up-and-down week for us," Cornell head coach Jeff Meeker said. "We played great volleyball in stretches and I think this team will continue to make significant progress throughout the season."
Dudgeon has progressed into one of the IIAC's premier hitters the last two years. She finished another productive week with 66 kills (3.88 kps) and a .463 attack percentage. Dudgeon committed only nine errors on 123 hitting attempts. She registered a career-high 23 kills on 42 attempts in the Beloit match.
"Laura continues to dominate," Meeker said. "She is seeing the court extremely well. She's been outstanding."
Kristin Paczosa (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) finished the week with 43 kills (2.53 kps) and 39 digs (2.29 dps). Freshman Morgan May (Dubuque/Wahlert) added 29 kills (1.81 kps) and a team-high nine blocks (0.56 bps) in her first extended time of the season.
Junior setter Hannah Boehmer (Riverside/Mid-Prairie) averaged 8.47 assists per set. Caiti Hladky (Fort Lupton, Colo./Valley) had team-highs with 72 digs and six service aces.
The Rams were limited to 33 kills, nine from Dudgeon, against a Simpson squad that was ranked 25th in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll. Boehmer dished out 25 assists and Hladky had 13 digs.
"The way we lost to Simpson was disappointing, but we have to put that behind us" Meeker said. "They are a very good team and played extremely well. Our offense was good, but they were better."
Cornell combined for 19 aces in its two wins in the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament, five of those from Hladky. Boehmer equaled her career high with 50 assists in the Beloit match.
"We put forth a solid effort at Illinois Wesleyan and played some great volleyball," Meeker said. "We are still working on our consistency and being able to play with enthusiasm one point at a time."
Coe week - The Rams resume IIAC play Tuesday against rival Coe (1-6, 1-0) in Cedar Rapids. Cornell prevailed in five sets last year in Mount Vernon, snapping a four-match losing skid against the Kohawks. The Rams are 9-17 in the IIAC series since 1997.
Career kills - Dudgeon is fast approaching Cornell's all-time record for kills, currently with 1,131. Kori Sims (2000-04) is the career leader with 1,151 kills.
Home, alas - The Rams wrap up a season-opening, 11-match road trip Tuesday against Coe. Cornell gets its long-awaited home opener Thursday night against Mount Mercy. It's the first of only five home matches for the Rams this fall, which includes dates with Dubuque (Sept. 23), Luther (Oct. 6), Loras (Oct. 27) and Wartburg (Nov. 3).
Rams in the rankings - Cornell leads the IIAC in three statistical categories: hitting percentage (.274), kills (12.41 kps) and aces (2.16 aps). Dudgeon tops the conference charts in hitting percentage (.478) and kills (3.68 kps). Boehmer ranks third in assists (9.2 aps).
