OSHKOSH, Wis. – Cornell's volleyball team went swing-for-swing with No. 2 seed Dubuque for two-plus hours, only to see the valiant effort denied by the slimmest margin in a 25-17, 25-27, 24-26, 25-11, 15-13 NCAA regional quarterfinal loss at Kolf Sports Center.
 
The epic battle witnessed 45 ties, including 11 in an ultra-tight fifth set which neither team led by more than one point until Dubuque inched ahead at 13-11.  
 
Cornell first-year Hannah Cantwell drove down her 14th kill of the match to bring the Rams within 13-12. Dubuque answered with an attack to make it 14-12. Cornell fought off the first match point with help from a Spartan error.
 
The 22nd-ranked Spartans went to Region IX Player of the Year Delainey Winkel for the winning spike, which deflected onto the floor off Cornell's block attempt. It was Winkel's 22nd kill of the match.
 
Coach Jeff Meeker's No. 7 seed Rams, making their 12th NCAA appearance in 15 years, closed another terrific season at 19-11 overall. Thursday marked the fifth time Cornell exited the NCAA Tournament in a five-setter.    
 
The Spartans (26-4) advance to face Wash U (23-8) in Friday's regional semifinal at 4:30 p.m.
 
Senior libero Ella Becker capped an exceptional career with 31 digs, tying a personal best in her 122nd match as a Ram. The four-year starter became the third Cornell player and 16th in Midwest Conference history to reach 2,000 career digs, finishing with 2,019.
 
Cantwell posted a dazzling double-double with 24 digs and the 14 kills in her NCAA debut. First-year Ashlin Nottestad also delivered 14 kills, while Ally Olmstead contributed 10 kills and a team-high five blocks.
 
Junior setter Nia Howard tallied 23 assists and 12 digs. She added two more aces to her lofty season total of 79, second-most in program history.
 
Cornell's young and talented front row received seven kills and two blocks from sophomore Mia Tubbs. Sully Downey and Kensie Staats had 16 and 10 digs, respectively. Grace Tverberg dished 17 assists.
 
The Rams connected for 16 kills in Set 2 and 19 in Set 3 to grab momentum and a 2-1 lead in the match. Cornell was tied 9-9 in Set 4 before the Spartans surged ahead with a 16-2 spurt that forced Set 5.
 
The 2026 outlook is extremely bright for the Rams, who graduate only two players in Becker and fifth-year Kiana Manson. Cornell is the reigning 13-time MWC regular-season champion.