MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's volleyball team played up to the level of experience Wednesday night, taking a veteran Coe squad to five sets in a two-plus hour battle eventually won by the visiting Kohawks by scores of 25-22, 20-25, 25-11, 22-25 and 15-11 at the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
Spurred by six ace serves from Cornell's Nia Howard in the fourth set, the Bremner Cup match went the distance and was tied 8-8 in the decisive fifth. Coe's potent hitters delivered down the stretch and the Kohawks came away with their first series win in Mount Vernon since 2018.
 
The youthful Rams dropped to 3-3 during a challenging opening stretch, which included home setbacks last week to No. 23 Dubuque and No. 13 UW-Platteville. Coe (6-1), the preseason favorite to win the American Rivers Conference, is receiving national votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll.
 
Cornell held its own against the Kohawks, who featured six seniors in their starting rotation. The Rams rallied from a 9-3 deficit in Set 4, keyed by Howard's five aces during a six-point service run that put the home team ahead 16-12.
 
Howard finished with a career-high seven aces on the night. The Rams fired 13 aces as a team, 12 of them coming in the final two sets.
 
First-year outside hitters Ashlin Nottestad and Hannah Cantwell led Cornell's attack with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Ally Olmstead added seven kills and a match-high six blocks. Mia Tubbs accounted for five blocks.
 
Cantwell completed her first collegiate double-double with 14 digs. Ella Becker posted a team-best 22 digs, while setters Grace Tverberg and Howard combined for 34 assists.
 
The Kohawks had four players reach double-digit kills, led by Maddie Harris' 20 on .444 hitting. Coe posted a .239 attack percentage, to Cornell's .139.    
 
Coupled with a 2-1 men's soccer win Wednesday, Coe earned two points in the 2025-26 Bremner Cup All-Sports Series and now leads 3-0 in the head-to-head competition.
 
Coming up – Cornell competes Saturday at the Coe Tournament in Cedar Rapids. The Rams face Gustavus Adolphus at 11 a.m. and Saint Benedict at 1:30 p.m. Both opponents are receiving votes in the national poll.