Rams sweep Luther, end regular season at 25-5

If Friday night was any indication, the Rams are in for a fun postseason.

Cornell's volleyball team wrapped up a whale of a regular season with a 25-16, 25-9, 25-11 Iowa Conference rout of Luther on Senior Night at the Small Multi-Sport Center. The Rams needed only 56 minutes to record their 11th consecutive victory, the seventh 3-0 sweep during the streak.

Cornell (25-5 overall) finished alone in third place in the IIAC standings at 5-3. The third-seeded Rams host No. 6 seed Dubuque (16-17, 3-5) in a first-round IIAC Tournament match at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Mount Vernon.

"We are heading into the conference tournament playing at a very high level and with great confidence," Cornell head coach Jeff Meeker said. "Our goal will be the same as it has been all year… keep getting better and play team volleyball. We can't wait to get back onto our home court. Our fans have been outstanding and we expect them to lead us to another big win on Tuesday."

Sophomore Kathleen O'Connor put on a dazzling display before the home crowd Friday with her powerful jump serves and rocket attacks. She hit .571 for the match with 16 kills and no errors on 28 swings. O'Connor planted four ace serves and also collected nine digs and three blocks.

O'Connor set the tone early, converting nine kills on 11 attempts in the first set. She fired three aces in succession in the third set.

"Katie's play was phenomenal," Meeker said. "When she is swinging and serving like she did (Friday), it elevates us to a whole different level."

Freshman Taylor Dicus tallied eight kills and six blocks. Libero Kylea Weber collected a match-high 12 digs, giving her an even 500 for the season. Sabrina Hargis handed out 25 assists.

Cornell posted a .350 team attack percentage. The Rams totaled 10 ace serves, five in the third set. Hargis and Kelsey Gaillot each had a pair of aces.

"We were definitely firing on all cylinders," Meeker said. "Going into the match our team was focused on taking another step forward, and we absolutely did that. It was special for our team to play so well on Senior Night. Kayla (Gaines), Kirtley (Hitt) and Sammy (Pedersen) were all outstanding. They played with great energy and focus."

IIAC Tournament - The Rams open postseason play against Dubuque, coached by former Cornell assistant April Elsbernd. Cornell has taken the last four meetings with the Spartans, including a 25-18, 25-16, 25-15 sweep on Oct. 11 in Mount Vernon.

"Dubuque is excited about being in the tournament (for the first time since 2004) and will come in with a lot of energy," Meeker said. "I think we match up well against them."

The Cornell-Dubuque winner will face No. 2 seed and defending IIAC Tournament champion Wartburg (24-10, 7-1) in a semifinal match Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in Waverly. Top-seeded Coe (31-3, 8-0) will host the winner of No. 4 seed Loras (10-22, 4-4) and No. 5 seed Central (22-10, 4-4) in Thursday's other semifinal.

The championship match is Saturday, Nov. 5 at the highest remaining seed. The winner earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championships.

Postseason history - The Rams are back in the IIAC Tournament for the fifth consecutive year and making their 14th overall appearance. Cornell was the No. 2 seed in last year's field, falling in a five-set semifinal battle with Wartburg.

Cornell's best tournament showing was a runner-up finish in 2004 as the No. 3 seed. That was also the year of the program's last postseason victory. The Rams are 7-20 all-time in the IIAC Tournament since 1997.

IIAC leaders - O'Connor finished the regular season as the conference leader in aces (0.46 aps). She ranked second in kills (3.65 kps). O'Connor's 394 kills are fourth-most on Cornell's single-season list.

Dicus led the IIAC in blocks (1.26 bps) and stood fourth in hitting percentage (.322). She is the school-record holder for block assists (108) and total blocks (136) in a season.

Weber ranked third in digs (4.67 dps). Hargis was fifth in assists (8.12 aps) and 10th in aces (0.31 aps). Gaillot finished eighth in aces (0.34 aps).