MOUNT VERNON – Once again, the road to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament goes through Cornell's Small Sport Center this weekend.
 
Coach Jeff Meeker's Rams are back as hosts of the Midwest Conference Tournament for the ninth straight time after winning the regular-season title with an 8-0 mark. They are 6-0 on their home court this season, needing two more wins to secure their eighth NCAA berth since 2011.
 
Top-seeded Cornell (18-11) begins its postseason journey Friday at 7 p.m. in a semifinal against No. 4 seed Monmouth (15-13). No. 2 seed Grinnell (19-13) plays No. 3 seed Illinois College (11-14) in the first semifinal at 4:30 p.m.
 
Friday's winners meet at 1 p.m. Saturday for the championship and the MWC's automatic berth to nationals.
 
Fans can follow live video and live stats of the tournament matches on Cornell's Stretch Internet Portal. Admission is free. All spectators are required to be masked. Rosters, statistics and more can be found in the 2021 MWC Tournament Program.
 
Cornell's nine consecutive regular-season titles marks the longest volleyball streak in MWC history. They've won the MWC Tournament six times since rejoining the conference in 2012, taking titles in 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
 
Cornell swept Monmouth, 3-0, in a Sept. 25 home match. The Rams scored 3-1 wins over both Grinnell and Illinois College this season.  
 
The Rams are the top blocking team in the MWC at 1.93 stuffs per set. They rank No. 2 behind Grinnell in hitting percentage (.189) and kills (12.27).
 
Freshman Clare Green leads the MWC with 9.65 assists per set. Junior Rory Light is No. 1 in blocks (1.21 bps) while ranking third in hitting percentage (.313) and kills (3.24 kps).
 
Grinnell is the defending MWC Tournament champion, claiming the 2019 crown as the No. 4 seed with upsets over Cornell in the semifinal and St. Norbert in the final. 
 
Illinois College has won five MWC titles, the last in 1998. Monmouth earned championships in 2010, 1982 and 1981.