MORRIS, Minn. – After a successful run at three straight weekend tournaments, the Cougars (8-4) volleyball team will now turn its focus to UMAC play. They open up the slate of games with a rematch of the 2013 UMAC Championship, taking on Northwestern on Friday night. The following day they will play North Central and Crown. LIVE VS NORTHWESTERN | LIVE STATS VS CROWN
 
Friday's match with Northwestern is also the UMAC Game of the Week as it pits the top two teams from last season and in the 2014 preseason poll. Morris goes into the match 1-2 in true road games this season.
 
Minnesota Morris is outhitting their opponents by 33% so far this season. They have 59 more kills than their opponents on the year. Most other stat categories are very close between the Cougars and their opponents.
 
Emily Auch is leading the team offensively this year, averaging 3.34 kills per set. Abby Tietz is second on the team with 2.37 kills per set. The team is 35^th in the nation in total kills this season.
 
Playing with two setters again this year, Brooke Decker and Kayley Siekmann are each averaging over 4.4 assists per set. As a team the Cougars are averaging 11.64 assists per set, which ranks 46^th in the country. The team is 32^nd in the country in total assists on the year.  
 
Defensively the Cougars rank third in the UMAC in digs per set, something that will be important in the match against Northwestern, who is the top hitting team in the UMAC and first in kills per set.