MWC Volleyball Tournament

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Grinnell College's volleyball team is hoping history repeats itself when it competes in the opening round of the 2019 Midwest Conference Tournament Friday night.
 
The 24-4 Pioneers, who broke the school record for wins in a season last weekend, will play Cornell College at 7 p.m. Though Grinnell beat Cornell in both meetings this season, the Pioneers are the fourth seed in the tourney and the Rams the top seed.
 
Grinnell is looking for more of the same success against the Rams after sweeping them in three sets Sept. 6 and grabbing a five-set thriller on Oct. 30 to snap Cornell's 44-match MWC winning streak.
 
In the latest match, Kaylin Kuhn '21 had 18 kills and Rachel Woock '23 15 for the Pioneers. Julianna Roth '22 dished out 46 assists and Kuhn served up six aces. Getting double-digit digs were Woock with 25, Payton Lowrey '22 with 23, Roth with 20 and Madison Smith '20 with 16.
 
Allison Eikenberry and Rory Light had 17 and 14 kills for the 17-10 Rams, respectively. Danielle Amonica added 41 assists and Sydney Meeker recorded 27 digs.
 
Kuhn ranks second nationally in points per set at 5.46 and third in kills with a 4.77 average. She is the league leader in both categories while ranking third in aces (0.49) and ninth in hitting efficiency (.260).
 
Lowrey is first in the MWC in aces (0.64) and sixth in digs (4.44), while Roth is third in assists (9.64). Olivia Jensen '22 is sixth in hitting efficiency (.287), Anna Killin '22 seventh in blocks (0.67) and Woock eighth in kills per set (2.83).
 
For Cornell, Eikenberry is fifth in the MWC in hitting efficiency at .287 and Amonica fourth in assists with 9.31. Katie Wycoff and Amonica are seventh and eighth in aces, Light ranks first in blocks at 0.90 and Meeker is second in digs with a 5.46 average.
 
The Grinnell-Cornell winner takes on either Illinois College or St. Norbert College for the MWC title on Saturday. The champ earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.