DUBUQUE – The 22nd-ranked Rams picked up a quality volleyball win on the road Wednesday night against American Rivers Conference foe Dubuque.
 
Cornell had a run of 13 unanswered points during the first two sets and pushed through in a tight fourth to claim a 25-17, 25-15, 18-25, 25-23 victory inside the Stoltz Sports Center.
 
The Rams (3-1), who moved up one spot in Tuesday's AVCA Top 25 Poll, notched their fifth consecutive series win over the Spartans (2-3).  
 
All-American hitter Ilah Perez-Johnson took over the match late for the Rams and led all players with 20 kills. The fifth-year accounted for nine kills in the fourth set, including the match-clincher. Perez-Johnson also accounted for 12 digs, three aces and three blocks.
 
Perez-Johnson topped 1,400 points for her career and passed Nicole Ciari (2015-18) for seventh place on the program's all-time kills list with 1,153.
 
Setters Clare Green and Nia Howard dished 17 and 14 assists, respectively. Green completed a double-double with 10 digs.
 
Junior Ella Becker scooped a match-high 20 digs. The Rams received six kills apiece from Ally Olmstead and Kiana Manson.
 
Dubuque, picked third in A-R-C Preseason Coaches' Poll, was held to .118 hitting for the match. The Rams hit at a .190-percent clip.
 
Coming up – The Rams have a big weekend ahead with three matches against Top 25 teams at Northwestern's KTIS Classic in St. Paul, Minn. Cornell plays No. 12 Northwestern at 7 p.m. Friday, followed by Saturday matches against No. 20 Berry at 10 a.m. and No. 7 UW-Whitewater at 12 p.m.