MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Knox College volleyball team rallied to take the third set at Cornell College on Saturday afternoon, but the Prairie Fire (3-25, 1-6 Midwest Conference) were unable to come all the way back in a 3-1 loss to the league-leading Rams (15-10, 7-0 MWC) at the Small Athletic and Wellness Center (25-15, 25-3, 20-25, 25-11). With the victory, Cornell clinched the MWC regular-season title for the 13th consecutive year.
In the opening set, Cornell jumped out to a 7-1 lead, and even though Knox closed the gap to two several times and was still within three at 16-13, the Rams pulled away to take the 1-0 lead. The second set was all Cornell as it rattled off the first 14 points and did not look back.
But the Prairie Fire regrouped and battled back, taking their first lead in any set at 10-9 in the third on a kill by senior Amelia Gamez. While the Rams scored the next point, the next three went to Knox with kills from junior Elle Haddon and sophomore Maria Jabor Jahn. Again Cornell tied the set, this time at 14, yet the Fire burned brighter with four straight points and never relinquished the lead again with Haddon clinching the set with another kill.
That would be the extent of the comeback, however, as the Rams took a 9-6 lead in the fourth set and turned into a 22-8 advantage, effectively ending the match.
- Jabor Jahn led Knox with seven kills while Gamez and Haddon each had five.
- The Prairie Fire amassed 12 kills in the third set, more than they had in the other three sets combined.
- Sophomore Rebeca Hernandez-Rivera recorded second double-double of the season with 11 assists and 10 digs.
- Knox had not won a set against Cornell prior to today's match in over 20 years.
Knox will conclude its season next Saturday, Nov. 8, when it plays at Lake Forest College (4-15, 1-6 MWC). The match will begin at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live with live stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College Athletics, courtesy of Lake Forest.
