MWC Tournament Page

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Grinnell College's volleyball team won some key matches down the stretch to punch its ticket to the 2017 Midwest Conference Tournament hosted by Cornell College.
 
The Pioneers will look to continue that momentum this weekend when the fourth seed takes on top-seeded and MWC regular-season champ Cornell at 7 p.m. Friday.
 
Grinnell is making its only back-to-back trip to the MWC Tournament and just the fourth overall appearance. The Pioneers enter the contest at 5-4 in the MWC and 16-8 overall, the most wins for the program since the 2002 season.
 
The Pioneers and Rams played Sept. 27 in Grinnell, with Cornell coming away with a 25-18, 25-22, 25-16 victory.
 
Grinnell players have made their mark statistically on the MWC this season. Olivia Jensen '21 leads the league in hitting percentage at .325 and aces with 0.54 a set. Sydney Vrecenar '18 is second in aces with 0.47 a set and Deanna Taylor '18 ranks second in digs average at 5.11.
 
Margaret Giles '18 is third in assists average at 9.19 and Kaylin Kuhn '21 is third in aces with 0.43. Kuhn ranks fifth in kills at 3.27, Deanna Taylor is sixth in aces at 0.38, Emma Willhardt '19 is ninth in hitting efficiency at 2.41 and Jensen ranks ninth in kills with 2.71 per set.
 
Cornell, 9-0 in the league and 23-7 overall, is receiving votes for the national rankings. Jillian Schulte leads the MWC in assists with 10.58 a set and is fifth in aces at 0.39.
 
Nicole Clari is third in hitting efficiency (.304) and fourth in blocks (0.78), Libby Schnoor is third in kills (3.44), Allison Elkenberry fourth in hitting efficiency (.292) and Diamond Boyd fifth in kills (3.27).
 
Second-seeded St. Norbert College will take on third seed Ripon College in the other semifinal. The winners meet at 1 p.m. Saturday, with that winner earning the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.