ST. PAUL, Minn. - The great season the Minnesota Morris volleyball team is having is being recognized by peers in the region. In the NCAA Division III Central Region rankings released Wednesday, the Cougars received a No. 8 ranking. The rankings help determine at-large berths for the NCAA Tournament.

Northwestern is ranked No. 1 in the region. This marks the first time since approximately 2010-11 that two teams from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference have made the regional rankings at the same time for one sport.

Central Region Rankings
1. Northwestern (27-6)
2. Gustavus Adolphus (21-5)
3. St. Thomas (22-5)
4. Washington-St. Louis (19-6)
5. Wartburg (17-5)
6. Saint Benedict (15-8)
7. Luther (15-9)
8. Minnesota Morris (24-7)

Complete Regional Rankings

The Cougars had an impressive non-conference slate. They had a perfect 4-0 record in the New England Invitational in the Boston, Mass. area, which included a win over then- No. 23 ranked Tufts. Victories over No. 15 Chicago and Augsburg on the road highlighted their non-conference wins.

Minnesota Morris (13-2 in UMAC) concludes the regular season portion of their schedule Saturday at home against Northland. They will host a UMAC semifinal contest next Wednesday, November 1. Stay tuned to morriscougars.com for match times and opponents.