MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team advanced to the UMAC Tournament championship match for the ninth consecutive season on Wednesday night, surviving a scare from the University of Wisconsin-Superior to win in four sets (25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-23). The Cougars improve to 15-13 on the season and will once again meet the University of Northwestern to decide the auto-bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Minnesota Morris roared out of the gates in the first set, laying down 16 kills and committing just a single attack error to hit .395 as a team. Despite that, UW-Superior managed to stick around much of the way and tied the score at 15-15 on the lone Cougar attack error. McKenzie Newton put UMN Morris ahead on the next point and that was followed by an ace from Alyssa Ukestad. The Yellowjackets were unable to pull even again, with four straight from the Cougars giving them a 21-16 edge. The final three points went to Minnesota Morris as well, with a kill apiece from Maggie Jones and Lydia Nash.
UW-Superior answered back in the second set, starting out hot and forcing Minnesota Morris to use both of its timeouts in the early going as the Yellowjackets established a 12-5 lead. A three-point run in the middle of the set by the Cougars got them to within three, 17-14, but five of the next six points went to UW-Superior and the visitors cruised from there to even the match at 1-1.
The third set was closely contested throughout, but six service errors from Minnesota Morris seemed to have UW-Superior on the verge of taking a 2-1 lead. The Cougars suddenly swung the momentum with a five-point run to turn a 20-17 deficit into a 22-20 edge. Down the stretch, Kennedy Geller had the final two kills for UMN Morris to take the set by a score of 25-23.
The Cougars and Yellowjackets took turns trading haymakers in the fourth set, with the teams combining for 14 tied scores during the course of the set. A kill from Geller had given the Cougars a two-point margin, 17-15, but two straight from UW-Superior knotted the score at 17-17 and the score would then be tied at each point all the way up to 22-22. In the end, a pair of blocks by Minnesota Morris helped decide it. Geller and Jenna Howden paired up for consecutive blocks of Alexie Pryd to make it 24-22. After the Yellowjackets fought off one match point, Nash ended it with the last of her team-high 15 kills.
Finishing behind Nash for kills on the night were middle blockers Geller and Jones with 11 kills apiece. Geller hit .556 in the match and Jones was at .455. Newton had a double-double with 45 assists and 13 digs. Ukestad ended with 21 digs and Laura Wellbrock finished with 15.
As the No. 1 seed in the UMAC Tournament, Northwestern will get to host Saturday’s championship match. The Cougars and Eagles are set to meet in St. Paul beginning at 3 p.m.
