ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Morris volleyball team led all Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schools with six selections to the UMAC All-Conference squad announced Monday.

UMAC Release

Four Cougars earned First Team status: Katie Reitsma, Marissa Ekness, Layne Herrmann, and Morgan Miller while two gained Second Team recognition: Mia Frick and Rachel Mathias. Special nods went to Reitsma who was named UMAC Defensive Player of the Year and to Frick who received UMAC Rookie of the Year honors.

All four members of the All-UMAC First Team were at or near the top of their respective statistical categories in both the conference and national rankings.

For Reitsma, she is a repeat winner of the UMAC Defensive Player of the Year and it marks her third appearance on the All-UMAC First Team list. She led the conference with 694 digs which put her sixth nationally. She became the program's all-time digs leader late in the season and is the first Cougar player to surpass 2,000 career digs (2,024).

Ekness is a four-time all-conference honoree and a three-time All-UMAC First Team member. She also broke a program record as she became the Cougars' all-time kills leader this season; the new standard to reach is 1,717. She recorded 486 kills this season which puts her in a tie for 12th nationally. She also ranks sixth all-time in program history with 1,280 digs and seventh all-time with 144 service aces.

Herrmann was last season's UMAC Rookie of the Year and is a repeat All-UMAC First Team selection. Herrmann led the conference with 1,248 assists, more than 400 more than any other setter in the conference; that total ranks her fifth nationally. The sophomore is already sixth in program history with 2,307 career assists.

After earning All-UMAC Second Team honors last season, sophomore Morgan Miller earns First Team nods in 2017. She led all UMAC players in total blocks with 116, which ranks her 12th nationally. She also ranked fifth in the conference in hitting percentage (.278) and sixth in kills (320).

Frick earns the Cougars second straight UMAC Rookie of the Year selection. The All-UMAC Second Team performer recorded 240 kills and 67 total blocks in her first year campaign.

Rounding out the Cougar all-conference selection is Rachel Mathias. The junior was a steady presence for the Cougars in the middle. She was third on the squad with 303 kills and second with 83 blocks. Her .300 hitting percentage was third best in the conference.