Box Score MORRIS, Minn. - The Minnesota Morris volleyball team defeated St. Scholastica twice during the regular season. They would need to beat them a third time in order to advance to their fourth straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship game. The Cougars would do so and in rather easy fashion as they swept the Saints in a conference semifinal match Wednesday night at the UMM PE Center.

Six of the seven sets played between the Cougars and Saints this season were decided by five points or less. Wednesday night, Minnesota Morris was able to build cushions and only had one set within that five-point margin in the 25-20, 25-16, 25-17 win.

The Cougars raced out to a 12-4 lead in the first. The Saints found a rhythm though and took a 20-19 lead late in the set. The Cougars used kills from Bekah Morris, Morgan Miller, and Lindsey Markel as part of a 6-0 run to end the set.

CSS lead the second set 15-13 before the Cougars ended the set with another lengthy spurt, 12-1.

No late spurt was needed in the third jumped out to an 8-3 lead that later turned into a 19-11 edge. A Hannah Godzala service ace ended the match.

Freshman setter Layne Herrmann needed four assists to reach 1000 for the season and she achieved that early in the match on her way to 35 total on Wednesday. She becomes the third Cougar to reach the 1000 milestone this season following Katie Reitsma who recorded 1000 career digs and Marissa Ekness who totaled 1000 career kills.

Ekness recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. Morgan Miller added 11 kills. Reitsma led with 24 digs.

Minnesota Morris (16-14) will face Northwestern in the UMAC title game for the fourth straight season, Saturday night at 7 p.m. in St. Paul.