OSHKOSH, Wis. – Cornell's volleyball team went virtually point-for-point with top-ranked and defending NCAA champion UW-Oshkosh on its home court Saturday before falling in four sets by scores of 30-28, 26-24, 23-25 and 25-19 at Kolf Sports Center.
Despite also showing its potential the previous night in a tight three-set loss at 20th-ranked UW-Whitewater, Cornell moved to 1-4 on the young season.
The Rams made undefeated UW-Oshkosh (7-0) work for its 17th consecutive win in a battle that featured 30 ties and 14 lead changes.
Cornell was denied set point twice in the opener. The Rams led 24-21 in the pivotal second set, only to surrender five unanswered points.
The Rams had three players registered double-digit kills, led by junior
Ally Olmstead with 15. Olmstead eclipsed the 500-kill mark for her career, now with 503.
Ashlin Nottestad hit .360 with 12 kills, while
Mia Tubbs added 10 kills. Tubbs and
Selia Stein recorded five blocks apiece.
Cornell received a match-high 22 digs from
Kensie Staats.
Nia Howard and
Grace Tverberg combined for 40 assists.
The Rams outhit UW-Oshkosh, .199 to .190, and also held a 6-3 advantage in aces.
UW-Oshkosh, which has made three consecutive appearances in the Elite 8, improved to 42-5 in home matches since 2023.
Coming up – Cornell travels to play Dubuque at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Dubuque. The Spartans, who are receiving votes in the national poll, beat Cornell in five sets in last year's NCAA Tournament.
