Box Score
New Ulm, Minn. – The University of Minnesota, Morris volleyball team pulled out a hard fought 3-2 win today (Oct. 9) over a Martin Luther team that had won three straight.
Looking to close out the match in four, the Cougars watched as the Knights went on a 13-3 run to win the fourth and extend the match to a fifth set. Then in the fifth, the Knights went on a four-point run to tie it at 12-12 before the Cougars put the pedal down with three straight points for the 15-12 fifth set win, and 3-2 match win.
The win is the fifth straight for Minnesota, Morris (12-10, 5-2), as well as their fourth straight in UMAC play. They had to work extra for this one, though, as all of the previous wins in the streak came in just three sets.
Martin Luther (12-9, 4-3) entered the match on a winning streak of their own, but suffered their first loss in the last four matches. The Knights had won nine straight sets coming into the day, and had won six of their last eight matches.
The Cougars opened the match with a 25-18 win before the Knights evened the score with a 25-23 win in the second set. They then traded 25-18 sets with the Cougars winning in the third and the Knights winning in the fourth. Finally in the fifth set, the Cougars closed it out with a 15-12 win.
Kaylie Clark (Garden Plains, Neb.) led the charge, as the freshman finished with a career high 17 kills while hitting a team high .316. Clark also had 13 digs, for her third double-double of the season.
Megan Theis (Shakopee, Minn.) and Allie Humphrey (Minnetonka, Minn.) also finished with double-digit kills, charting 13 and 11 respectively. For Theis, it is the sixth straight match with over 10 and for Humphrey, it is a career high. Theis has been getting better as the season has worn on, and in her current six-match run, her kill totals have went 10, 10, 11, 12, 12 and 13 today.
Also form the career-day-department, was Natalie Thomas (Champlin, Minn.) as she tied her best mark in dishing out 50 assists. Just once before as she reached the half century mark, and today set up attacks for eight different players. On the defensive end, she added 15 digs, one of five players with over 10.
The Cougars finished with 10 total blocks on the day, holding the Knights to just a .150 hitting percentage. Humphrey and Stephanie Schmieising (Melrose, Minn.) led the way with five block assists each.
With the win, the Cougars have created some separation in the previously clogged UMAC standings, and now sit alone in third place, behind unbeaten St. Scholastica and once-beaten Northwestern. With the first run through the conference schedule complete, they will get another crack as each, starting next weekend on the road to face the Saints.
The Cougars travel to St. Scholastica on Oct. 15 for a 7:00 p.m. match, and a day later (Oct. 16) take on Northland at 1:00 p.m.
