APPLETON, Wis. – The Rams volleyball team signed off on its fifth undefeated Midwest Conference regular season in six years and made Jeff Meeker Cornell's winningest coach in any sport with a sweep of Lawrence Saturday afternoon.
Cornell (21-6 overall) posted a 25-22, 25-21, 25-21 victory to complete a perfect 9-0 run through the conference. Ten times an MWC team has finished 9-0 or better in the regular season. Five times it has been the Rams.
The Rams will be the No. 1 seed and host of the MWC Tournament Nov. 3-4 in Mount Vernon. Cornell claimed the MWC regular-season crown for the sixth consecutive year.
Meeker climbed to No. 1 on Cornell's all-time coaching wins list with a career record of 310-203 in 16 seasons on the Hilltop. The five-time reigning MWC Coach of the Year overtook Hall of Fame men's basketball coach Paul Maaske, who won 309 games in 26 seasons (1956-73, 75-84) with the Rams.
Meeker's teams have claimed seven conference titles and five NCAA Tournament berths. Maaske coached six conference champions and five NCAA Tournament squads.
Cornell notched its seventh MWC sweep behind a balanced offense that saw four players register at least eight kills. Diamond Boyd (SR/Elk Grove Village, Ill.) led the way with 11 scoring spikes, followed by Nicole Ciari (JR/San Jose, Calif.) and Allison Eikenberry (FR/Neola, Iowa) each with 10. Libby Schnoor (SR/Camanche, Iowa) contributed eight kills.
Sydney Meeker (FR/Mount Vernon, Iowa) had a strong match in the back row with 18 digs. Taylor Axelson (JR/Loveland, Colo.) scooped nine. Jillian Schulte (JR/Naperville, Ill.) set 39 assists and also had nine digs.
Lawrence (10-15 overall, 5-4 MWC) hung close with the Rams most of the match. Cornell led 20-19 in Set 1, was tied at 18-18 in Set 2 and held a 20-18 edge in Set 3.
The Rams hit .124 on the day, the Vikings .049.
Coming up – The Rams conclude the regular season with three matches at the Colorado College Tournament Oct. 27-28 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Cornell plays No. 2 nationally-ranked Colorado College on the first day, followed by matches with Howard Payne and Johnson & Wales.
