MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – In what's already been a record-breaking season for the Grinnell College volleyball team, the Pioneers added yet another accomplishment to their list.
For the first time a qualifying system was enacted, Grinnell advanced to the Midwest Conference Tournament championship match for the first time in program history Friday night by defeating top-seeded Cornell College in four sets. Though Grinnell was the fourth seed, the Pioneers have beaten the Rams in all three meetings this season though this marked the first victory on Cornell's court. It marks the second time in program history Grinnell has been in the final, the other coming when all teams made the tourney.
The Pioneers, who added to their school-record win total by improving to 25-4, will meet St. Norbert College in the title match at 1 p.m. Saturday. That winner earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
Grinnell, which won by scores of 25-23, 21-25, 25-23 and 25-16 Friday, had an 18-match losing streak to Cornell entering this season and had not won on the Rams' court since 2001.
Grinnell hit .201 for the match while holding the Rams, who finish the season at 16-7, to a mere .097 hitting efficiency.
The Pioneers dug themselves in holes of 6-3 and 13-7 in the first set before making a furious comeback, capped by a five-point run that included two kills by Kuhn, another by Killin and a combo block from Taylor and Jensen to push the visitors ahead 15-14.
After Cornell tied it, Grinnell reeled off another 5-0 run that included two kills by Killin for a 20-15 lead. Cornell then got back in it, taking a 23-22 lead before Woock had a kill, Cornell an attack error and Roth a kill for the set victory.
But the Rams won the second set and led 19-17 in the third when Grinnell fired off three points in a row that included a kill by Taylor for a 20-19 lead. The teams went back and forth after that, with Cornell tying it at 23-all before Kuhn had a kill and Cornell a ball handling error to put the Pioneers one set from victory.
Grinnell's strong finish in the third set appeared to take the wind out of the Rams' sails in the fourth, as Grinnell shot out to a 5-1 lead. It was later a 17-14 Pioneer lead before they delivered the decisive bow, a 6-0 run that included three kills by Jensen for a 23-14 lead.
After the Rams scored twice, Kuhn pounded down a kill and Lowrey served a deep ace to secure the victory and send the Pioneers into celebration.
There was plenty of movement on Grinnell's season-best chart on Friday. Kuhn has 451 kills this year, third best in Pioneer history, and 514 points which ranks fifth. Lowrey's 424 digs are eighth best at Grinnell.
As a team, Grinnell kill total of 1,362 is eighth all-time while the assists (1,184) and points (1,728) are each ninth.
