MOUNT VERNON – Cornell coach Jeff Meeker won't need to dig deep into his scouting reports for information on the Rams' first-round opponent at this week's NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
 
The No. 7 seed Rams (22-7) earned a rematch with 11th-ranked and second-seeded UW-Whitewater (25-6) in an NCAA Regional Quarterfinal at 3 p.m. Thursday in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Cornell outlasted the Warhawks in a five-set battle – 25-18, 15-25, 21-25, 25-23, 17-15 – Oct. 29 in Whitewater, Wis. It was the Rams' third win over a Top 25 nationally-ranked opponent this fall.    
 
The Cornell-UW-Whitewater winner advances to a regional semifinal Friday to play the winner of No. 13 Gustavus Adolphus (25-4) and No. 22 UW-Eau Claire (21-9).
 
Northwestern is host of the eight-team regional, held Thursday-Saturday inside the Ericksen Center. Quarterfinal matchups in the top half of the bracket feature No. 4 Northwestern (30-2) vs. North Park (23-8) and No. 14 UW-Stevens Point (25-7) vs. No. 21 Coe (27-5).
 
The region championship will be contested Saturday. The champion moves on to the Elite 8 Nov. 16-19 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Complete pairings of the 64-team tournament field can be found at 2022 NCAA Volleyball Bracket.
 
Cornell is off to nationals for the ninth time in program history, all since 2011 under Meeker. The Rams secured the Midwest Conference's automatic bid Saturday with a 3-0 win over Lake Forest in the MWC Tournament Final. Cornell won its 10th consecutive MWC regular-season title with an 8-0 mark.  
 
The Rams are 2-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches. They fell 3-1 in the quarterfinals to host Wartburg last year. Cornell reached the Sweet 16 in 2014.  
 
This is Cornell's fifth NCAA trip to St. Paul, Minn., also traveling north of the border in 2017, 2014, 2013 and 2012. The Rams also qualified in 2021 (Waverly), 2018 (Chicago, Ill.), 2015 (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and 2011 (St. Louis, Mo.).
 
Cornell has played four of the teams in its regional pod this season, going 2-3 against the field. Along with the recent road win over UW-Whitewater, the Rams split two matches with rival Coe (L, 3-0 and W, 3-1) and lost in four sets to both UW-Eau Claire and Gustavus Adolphus. 
 
The Rams have played their best ball down the stretch, winning nine of their last 10 matches with the lone blemish coming at No. 9 Wash U. on Oct. 21. The team is 18-3 with 14 sweeps since a Sept. 16 loss to national-votes getter Bethel.
 
Six members of this year's Cornell squad played in the 2021 NCAA Regional with seniors Rory Light, Grace Marti, Olivia Richards, juniors Ilah Perez-Johnson, Caitlin Babcock and sophomore Clare Green.
 
Light is the Division III national leader in blocks per set (1.50) and ranks No. 3 in total blocks (135). Green stands No. 13 nationally in assists (10.02 aps).
 
As a team, the Rams rank No. 3 in blocks per set (2.53) and No. 9 in total blocks (244). Four Rams have already topped 200 kills this season in Light (287), Perez-Johnson (275), freshman Ella McLaughlin (223) and Marti (217).
 
UW-Whitewater is making its 33rd NCAA appearance, fielding a 49-31 tournament record. The Warhawks are regular-season and tournament champions out of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They defeated UW-Stevens Point in Saturday's WIAC Tournament Final, 3-1.
 
The Warhawks rank No. 7 nationally in total blocks (25). They have five players with at least 200 kills on the year. Jenna Weinfurt averages a team-best 2.92 kills per set, followed by 6-foot-2 Erin McNeil at 2.73.