RIPON, Wis. - The Ripon volleyball team faced defending Midwest Conference champion Cornell College Saturday afternoon for the first time since losing to the Rams in the semifinals of last year's MWC Tournament. Their last meeting was over in three sets, but the Red Hawks managed to last four sets on Saturday before suffering their first conference loss of the season, 11-25, 21-25, 26-24, 17-25.

The match was competitive throughout, featuring 32 ties, 28 of which came during the second and third sets. Ripon (11-8, 1-1 MWC) was led by Emily Gary and Katie Berrell, whom recorded 10 kills apiece. Abbi Williamson added a match-high 31 assists, to go along with 13 digs, while Brianne Milroy led the team with 20 digs. 

Ripon finished the match with a hitting percentage of .095, while Cornell (11-6, 2-0 MWC) had a .272 hitting percentage. The Rams were led by Taylor Dicus' 18 kills and seven blocks (one solo). Diamond Boyd added 13 kills, while Katie Sickelka and Mariah Brandly posted 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Katherine Devlin led Cornell with 19 assists, while Kylea Weber's 22 digs was a match-high.

The Red Hawks will try to rebound on Wednesday when they'll travel to St. Norbert College. That match will begin at 7 p.m. in De Pere, Wis. and can be seen live at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.