MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's volleyball team is hitting its stride at the right time, carrying a 10-match winning streak into the postseason.
 
Fresh off claiming their 12th consecutive Midwest Conference regular-season title, the Rams are seeking more hardware this weekend as host of the MWC Tournament at the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
No. 1 seed Cornell (17-11) opens play at 7 p.m. Friday in a semifinal against No. 4 seed Illinois College (14-14). Friday's first semifinal pits No. 2 seed Grinnell (20-9) against No. 3 seed Monmouth (19-10) at 4:30 p.m.
 
The semifinal winners meet in Saturday's championship match at 1 p.m. for the MWC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament, which begins with regional play Nov. 21-23.
 
Fans can follow the action via live stats and live video. Complete team information can be found in the MWC Tournament Program.
 
Admission is $6 for ages 12-and-up. Children 11-and-under are free. All MWC students and staff are also admitted free with an ID card.
 
Coach Jeff Meeker's Rams have hosted the MWC Tournament every year it has been contested since rejoining the conference in 2012. Cornell has won nine of 11 tourney titles during the span, including the past three.
 
Ranked No. 7 in Region IX, Cornell finished 8-0 in the MWC regular season. The Rams earned 3-1 wins over all three teams that make up this year's field.  
 
The Rams swept Grinnell in the semifinals and Illinois College in the final to capture the 2023 tournament crown. Cornell is 19-2 in MWC Tournament matches since 2012.
 
Cornell's lineup is anchored by Ilah Perez-Johnson, the 2023 MWC Player of the Year. The fifth-year outside hitter ranks No. 8 nationally in points (512) and No. 9 in kills (441). Senior Clare Green has dished an MWC-best 892 assists (8.11 aps) and junior Carly Puffer leads all MWC players with 110 blocks (1.00 bps).
 
Junior libero Ella Becker is second in the league with 481 digs (4.37 dps). First-year Ally Olmstead ranks fourth with 0.86 blocks per set.  
 
Grinnell is back in the tournament field for the eighth consecutive season. The Pioneers are the last team other than Cornell to win it (2019). Illinois College qualified for the sixth year in a row. This is Monmouth's first appearance since 2021.