Volleyball News Releases
Rams move into second place in IIAC; Paczosa named all-tournament
MOUNT VERNON - The Cornell College volleyball team remained in the thick of the Iowa Conference title race with a landmark win over perennial power Central Sept. 29 in Pella.
The Rams rolled to a 25-18, 25-21, 26-24 sweep of Central, marking the program's first ever win over the Dutch. Cornell had been 0-16 against Central since joining the IIAC in 1997.
"Our win over Central was huge for the program," Cornell head coach Jeff Meeker said. "We played well in sets 1 and 2 and found a way to win set 3. This puts us in great position looking toward the second half of our conference schedule. It is a signature win for our program and gives us great confidence moving forward."
The Rams (16-6 overall, 3-1 IIAC) moved into a tie with preseason favorite Simpson for second place in the IIAC. Wartburg is alone atop the league standings at 3-0.
Cornell ran into tough competition at the IIAC-MIAC Border Battle, hosted by St. Olaf Friday and Saturday in Northfield, Minn. The Rams finished 1-3 against four schools from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that carried a combined 54-20 season record.
Cornell picked up a five-set win over Augsburg (25-23, 25-17, 24-26, 22-25, 15-12). The Rams were swept by 18-2 St. Olaf (27-25, 27-25, 25-18) and 13-5 Saint Mary's (25-15, 25-17, 25-22) and fell in five sets to Carleton (25-13, 21-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13).
The Rams played without senior middle hitter Laura Dudgeon (Bettendorf/Bettendorf) in Saturday's losses to St. Olaf and Carleton due to an illness. Kristin Paczosa (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) helped pick up the slack in the front row and was named to the all-tournament team.
"Our results at the Border Battle were disappointing because we just made too many mistakes over the course of the tournament," Meeker said. "We need to play with a little more focus and a greater sense of urgency on every point. I think we took away some valuable lessons from playing four solid teams. We will work hard to be a better team down the stretch."
Dudgeon had a big night against Central, recording a match-high 17 kills on 33 attacks. Paczosa chipped in nine kills and shared team-high honors with Caiti Hladky (Fort Lupton, Colo./Valley) with 10 digs. Hannah Boehmer (Riverside/Mid-Prairie) contributed 37 assists and Morgan May (Dubuque/Wahlert) totaled four blocks. The Rams committed only six attack errors in the first two sets, hitting .290 and .345, respectively.
Paczosa averaged 3.88 kills and 2.56 digs while serving seven aces in the Border Battle. The senior outside hitter tied her season high with 16 kills against Augsburg and then reset it with a 21-kill performance against Carleton.
"Kristin played well all weekend," Meeker said. "Her serving was very good and she was solid at the net."
Boehmer dished out a career-high 52 assists against Augsburg, 21 of those points coming from Dudgeon. The Rams accounted for 13 aces in that match, getting six from CJ Ronhovde (Elmwood, Neb./Elmwood-Murdock) and five from Paczosa.
Coming up - Tuesday, Oct. 6, vs. Luther, Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 6 p.m. (JV), 7:30 p.m. (varsity); Thursday, Oct. 8, at St. Ambrose, Davenport, 6 p.m. (JV), 7:30 p.m. (varsity); Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Buena Vista, Storm Lake, 6 p.m. (JV), 7:30 p.m. (varsity).
The Rams open homecoming week Tuesday with a key conference matchup with the Luther Norse (15-6, 2-1) in Mount Vernon. Luther outlasted the Rams in five sets in the teams' lone meeting last year in Decorah. Prior to that loss, Cornell had won six straight in the series.
"Luther is a very good team and playing good ball," Meeker said. "It should be a great match. We know that our fans will give us a big lift as we kick off homecoming week."
Cornell has four IIAC matches remaining in the regular season. Along with Luther, the Rams play at Buena Vista (Oct. 13) and have home dates left with Loras (Oct. 27) and Wartburg (Nov. 3).
National rankings - According to the last NCAA Division III statistical report Sept. 20, Cornell ranked ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.287) and 23rd in kills per set (12.73). Dudgeon stood third in hitting percentage (.469).
Win streak - The Rams saw their nine-match winning streak, the longest in Coach Meeker's eight seasons at the helm, end suddenly Friday in a 3-0 loss to Saint Mary's. Cornell had given up only five sets during the streak, which spanned from Sept. 12-Sept. 29. The Rams finished a strong month of September with a 15-3 record.
All-tourney teams - Paczosa has twice been named to all-tournament teams this season, including the Illinois College Tournament Sept. 5-6 and last weekend's Border Battle. She has earned all-tournament accolades six times in her career.
Dudgeon joined Paczosa on the all-tournament team at Illinois College. May was honored at the Wheaton Invitational Sept. 25-26.
Schwein heads into Hall - Lisa Schwein, a four-year volleyball letterwinner from 1981-84, is one of four former student-athletes who will be inducted into Cornell's Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend. She was a key figure on the 1983 Midwest Conference championship team that finished 21-4.
Watch the match live - Fans can watch Tuesday's match with Luther online via live webcast at www.cornellcollege.edu/athletics/streaming/index.shtml. Cornell's student radio station, KRNL (FM 89.7), will provide the play-by-play and color during the webcast.
