MONMOUTH, Ill. – Cornell's volleyball team opened a pivotal weekend road trip Friday night by knocking off Monmouth from the ranks of Midwest Conference unbeatens at Glennie Gymnasium.
 
Fueled by a match-high 20 kills from Ilah Perez-Johnson, the Rams defeated the Fighting Scots by scores of 25-20, 25-16, 14-25 and 25-16 to stay perfect in league play.
 
The Rams (9-11 overall) moved to 2-0 in the MWC, joining Grinnell (3-0 MWC) atop the conference standings. Grinnell earned a 3-1 win at Illinois College Friday night.
 
Cornell faces another road test Saturday against Illinois College (11-12 overall, 2-2 MWC) in Jacksonville, Ill. First serve is 1 p.m.
 
The Rams recorded their 16th consecutive series win over Monmouth (14-9 overall, 3-1 MWC), which entered the match as the top hitting team in the MWC. Cornell held the Fighting Scots to a .164 attack percentage for the night.
 
 Perez-Johnson hammered six of her kills in the decisive fourth set, highlighted by consecutive spikes for the final two points. The all-American hit .333 and reached the 20-kill mark for the seventh time this season. Perez-Johnson also had 10 digs while going 28-of-28 in serve reception.
 
Clare Green also posted a double-double with 45 assists and 14 digs. Junior Carley Puffer accounted for 11 kills and three blocks. Mia Tubbs and Ally Olmstead added seven kills apiece.
 
Libero Ella Becker led all players with 21 digs.