MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - Cornell College may be the Midwest Conference preseason favorite, but the Grinnell College volleyball team gave the Rams all they could handle Wednesday night.

Grinnell put up a strong fight against the hosts, falling 25-13, 25-19 and 25-20 in the league opener for each team.

Evelyn Weidman '17 and Ariel Lepito '17 had seven and six kills, respectively, for Grinnell. Margaret Giles '18 added 16 assists and Christine Hood '17 tallied 10 digs. Emma Willhardt '19 had two solo blocks and one assist.

Cornell had little trouble in the first set, breaking out to a 17-5 lead on its way to victory. The second set was a different story. Cornell led 17-13 when Giles served four consecutive points to tie the contest at 17-all.

However, the Rams answered with a four-point run and eventually won. 

Grinnell caught fire midway through the third set, turning a 7-all tie into a 15-9 lead. Sydney Vrecenar '18 served four points during the run and Emily Friedman '19 tallied two kills.

The Rams rallied and eventually took a 19-18 lead. Grinnell tied it at 19-all, but Cornell followed with a 6-1 run to win.

The loss left Grinnell at 6-8 overall, while Cornell moved to 9-6. The Pioneers entertain Ripon College and North Central University Saturday at Darby Gymnasium.