Volleyball News Releases
Rams improve to 22-7, extend winning streak to six
MOUNT VERNON - Cornell College's volleyball team continues to pick up steam during the stretch run of the season.
The Rams extended their winning streak to six matches in posting a 4-0 mark at the UW-La Crosse Tournament Friday and Saturday in La Crosse, Wis. Cornell (22-7 overall, 4-2 Iowa Conference) clinched its eighth 20-win season in school history and first since 2004.
Cornell joined Luther as the only schools in the six-team field at La Crosse to go unbeaten over the weekend. The Rams opened play with a 25-18, 25-18, 25-19 victory over Buena Vista, their second sweep in eight days over the Beavers. Cornell scored four-set wins over UW-Platteville (25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-22) and UW-La Crosse (25-23, 25-14, 24-26, 25-16) and outlasted Clarke in five sets, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 18-25 and 15-13.
With only two matches remaining in the regular season, the Rams appear to be hitting their stride at just the right time. Cornell is guaranteed a spot in the six-team IIAC Tournament Nov. 6-7.
"It was a great weekend for us," Cornell head coach Jeff Meeker said. "Going 4-0 and surpassing 20 wins was great, but more importantly we played great team volleyball. It was also a rewarding way for our seniors to finish their (regular-season) tournament careers."
Kristin Paczosa (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) represented the Rams on the all-tournament team. The senior outside hitter averaged 3.69 kills with a .273 attack percentage. Paczosa totaled 40 digs, nine blocks and six aces, all second on the team.
Paczosa recorded 52 kills in the final three matches of the tournament, highlighted with a team-high 19 against Clarke.
"Kristin had a big weekend and is playing the best ball of her career," Meeker said. "It was a nice honor for her to be named all-tournament."
The Rams had several fine individual performances at La Crosse. Sophomore libero Caiti Hladky (Fort Lupton, Colo./Valley) averaged 5.31 digs per set, including a career-high 30 digs in the Clarke match. Senior middle hitter Laura Dudgeon (Bettendorf/Bettendorf) averaged 3.69 kills and notched a team-high 21 blocks (1.31 bps). Junior setter Hannah Boehmer dished out 10.12 assists per set and fired six aces. Boehmer's 50 assists against Clarke were two shy of her career high.
"We blocked as well as we have all season, which is an excellent sign," Meeker said. "We do need to work on eliminating out-of-system hitting errors."
Coming up - Tuesday, Oct. 27, vs. Loras (8-17, 3-2), Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 6 p.m. (JV), 7:30 p.m. (varsity); Saturday, Oct. 31, Iowa Conference JV Tournament, Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 9:30 a.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 3, vs. Wartburg, Small Multi-Sport Center, Mount Vernon, 7 p.m. (varsity).
Conference race - Cornell's final two IIAC matches will go a long way in determining seeding for next month's league tournament. The Rams host Loras (12-19) Tuesday and welcome Wartburg (12-14) Nov. 3 in the home finale.
The Rams currently stand in a three-way tie for third place in the IIAC race with Luther and Loras, all at 4-2. Simpson leads the way at 6-1, followed by Wartburg at 5-1. Cornell fell to both Simpson and Luther earlier this season.
The No. 1 seed will serve as tournament host. The top two seeds earn first-round byes.
Loras swept the Rams, 3-0, in two meetings last year, ending Cornell's six-match winning streak in the series. The Duhawks are 9-6 against the Rams since 1997.
"The Loras match will be an exciting one," Meeker said. "They have played very well in conference play and I expect them to play well on Tuesday."
JV looks to repeat - Cornell will host the IIAC Junior Varsity Championships Saturday, Oct. 31. The Rams went 4-0 in capturing last year's tournament title in Waverly. Cornell enters the tournament with an 11-4-1 record.
Boehmer approaches mark - Boehmer is closing in on her second consecutive season with 1,000 assists, currently with 983 this fall. She set a single-season record with 1,118 assists in 2008. Boehmer ranks second among IIAC setters, averaging 9.66 assists per set.
Hope Coffin is the only other Ram to top 1,000 assists in a season, reaching the mark in 2004 (1,033) and 2006 (1,001).
Win totals - The 2009 Rams are climbing the school's all-time list for wins in a season, currently tied with the 1987 and 1989 teams for fourth place with 22 victories. The 1986 squad set the standard with a 29-9-2 record. Cornell finished 25-14 in 1981, and went 23-13 in 2004.
Going the distance - Saturday's victory over Clarke was only the fourth time this season in which a Cornell match went all five sets. The Rams have prevailed in three of them, winning fifth sets against Mount Mercy (15-4), Augsburg (15-12) and Clarke (15-13). The lone blemish was a 15-13 fifth set loss to Carleton.
