EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – After going 0-2 yesterday, Minnesota Morris (16-10) turned it around to go 2-0 on Saturday.
Abby Tietz had 37 kills on the day, leading the team in that category. She had a double-double in each match as well adding 15 digs in each match.
Minnesota Morris came out with something to prove in their first game of the day, sweeping Wisconsin-Platteville. The Cougars hit .218 in the match and held UWP to .087 attacking. Tietz led the way with 14 kills, followed closely by
Cori Becker who had 13. The Morris defense racked up 64 digs and four blocks.
Marissa Ekness led Morris with 17 digs in the morning match. Tietz added 15 digs to earn a double-double.
Platteville stuck with Morris early in the first set, staying within a few points before taking a lead at 14-12. They increased their lead to 19-15 before UMM rallied. The Cougars rattled off four straight to tie the set at 19 and then took a lead at 22-21. A kill from Ekness gave Morris the 25-23 come from behind win.
The second set was similar to the first early on, as UMM and Platteville battled back and forth. The Cougars exploded offensively in the middle of the set to take a 19-9 lead. Morris never looked back winning 25-15.
The Cougars jumped out 8-2 in the third set but Platteville was able to score five straight, pulling within one at 8-7. That would be as close as they got thanks to a 6-2 run by Morris to take a 14-9 lead. UMM never let Platteville back in it and the Cougars won 25-14.
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Wisconsin-Stout took a lead in the match by winning the first set 25-20, in large part due to the Cougars inability to slow down the Stout offense. The Blue Devils hit .345 in the opening set. The second set was defensive battle, neither team hit better than .170 in the set. Morris found themselves behind 14-10 but battled back to tie the set at 14. Morris took a lead at 16-15 but could not pull away. It was a fight till the end when UMM rattled off three straight to turn a 27-26 deficit into a 29-27 victory.
Morris was able seize a six point lead early in the third set and Blue Devils never recovered. Morris' lead grew to 21-11 before winning the set by a score of 25-16. Minnesota Morris again pulled ahead early in the set four but this time Stout recovered, tying the set at 10. It would stay tight until the end with Morris holding out for a 26-24 win.
Next up for the Cougars is a match at Martin Luther on Wednesday night in New Ulm at 7 p.m.
