Halfway through the Midwest Conference volleyball season, the Rams haven’t blinked an eye and hold a familiar position atop the league standings.
The nine-time defending MWC champions recorded their fourth consecutive conference sweep, throttling past previous league unbeaten Lake Forest by scores of 25-18, 25-12, 25-21 Saturday afternoon inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
Junior Ilah Perez-Johnson led Cornell’s potent attack with a match-high 13 kills on .321 hitting. Ella McLaughlin hit .429 with seven kills, while Rory Light slammed six kills.
Clare Green handed out 27 assists for a Cornell offense that posted an even .300 attack percentage. The Rams served seven aces, three by Olivia Richards. Libero Ella Becker collected a team-best 11 digs.
Cornell’s talented front line tallied 11 team blocks, while the Foresters managed only one. Grace Marti recorded six blocks, followed by Light with five.
Cornell scored 10 of the final 13 points in Set 1 and played out in front virtually the rest of the way.
Earlier in the week, the Rams won against Ripon and Coe. Against Ripon, Cornell had 25-21, 25-15, 25-14 sweep.
The Rams picked up steam as the match progressed and finished off the visiting Red Hawks with one of their 14 blocks on the night, a tandem stuff by Light and Green.
Light, who remains the NCAA Division III leader in blocks per set, added nine block assists to her impressive season total. The senior also had an outstanding offensive match, pounding 11 kills on 22 errorless swings for a .500 attack percentage.
McLaughlin contributed seven kills and scooped nine digs, sharing team-high honors with fellow freshman Ella Becker. Green totaled 24 assists. Perez-Johnson served three aces. Carly Puffer was in on five blocks.
Against Coe, the Rams had 25-23, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21 matches.
Cornell beat the Kohawks for the 11th time in the last 16 meetings, fueled by a season-high 14 blocks and a balanced offensive attack that saw four Rams register double-digit kills.
Light was a force on both sides of the net, posting a career-high 10 blocks and smashing a match-high 14 kills on .244 hitting. The NCAA Division III leader in blocks per set, Light tallied three solo blocks and seven assisted.