Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MORRIS, Minn. - After spending the first two weeks of the 2016 season on the road, the Minnesota Morris volleyball team finally had their first home games of the campaign as they hosted four Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schools as part of the UMAC Preview event Friday evening.

The Cougars wasted no time putting a positive impression on the home crowd as they swept UW-Superior in three sets. UMM did lose five of the first six points against the Yellow Jackets, but quickly made up the gap tying the set at 6 behind three kills from Morgan Miller. The set was still tied at 16 before the Cougars went on a 9-2 spurt to win the frame 25-18. Miller added another kill to end the set.

Minnesota Morris dominated the final two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-10. Layne Herrmann had a monstrous game from setting her teammates up with 39 assists. Miller led with 20 kills and Marissa Ekness added 15. Bekah Morris, Katie Reitsma each totaled 15 digs and Ekness was close behind with 14.

Against a nationally-ranked Northwestern team in the nightcap, the Cougars took the first set from the Eagles, but Northwestern took the next three sets to win in four.

The Cougars started out on fire as they doubled up on the No. 25 ranked Eagles 20-10 aided by back-to-back kills from Miller. Northwestern tried to put a little rally together, but Courtney Daque's kill ended the set 25-18 in the Cougars' favor.

Northwestern turned things around to take the second set 25-11 and kept that momentum going to take the remaining sets 25-22, 25-13.

Play continues Saturday for Minnesota Morris (3-8) at the UMAC Preview beginning with an 11 a.m. match with St. Scholastica and a 3 p.m. tilt against Martin Luther.