MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team picked up its first win and evened its record at 1-1 (1-1 UMAC) on the season with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 28-26) victory over Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday. 

Though Bethany Lutheran made the first set interesting at times, Minnesota Morris scored the first three points of the set and never trailed in the 25-20 win. An error, a kill from Maggie Jones, and the first of seven aces from Alyssa Ukestad gave the Cougars the 3-0 lead. Jones and Tori Everson combined for a block on set point to seal the win and a 1-0 advantage in the match.

The Vikings actually jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but once the Cougars got rolling there was no stopping them. A kill from Everson pulled UMN Morris to within one at 4-3 and ended up being the first of 10 straight points scored for the home side. Everson, Jones, and Jenna Howden each had two kills in that span to make it 12-4. Later, with the score 13-8, Minnesota Morris scored another nine unanswered with Ukestad providing five points off of aces. That made the score 22-8 and the Cougars had no trouble making it 2-0 in the match from there.

Minnesota Morris led by as many as six points, 17-11, late in the third set before Bethany Lutheran came back and made the Cougars work for the victory. A four-point run for UMN Morris left the score at 24-19 and had the Cougars on the brink of victory before Bethany Lutheran scored five straight and seven out of eight points to earn a set point with a 26-25 lead. Minnesota Morris gutted it out from there however, tying the score with a block from Jones, going ahead with a kill from Brenna Tinjum, and then wrapping up the match with a Bethany Lutheran attack error that was initiated by the serve of Ukestad.

Ukestad joined select company by totaling seven aces on Saturday, tied for fourth all-time for the Cougar program in a three-set match. Mia Frick led UMN Morris with 10 kills, while Everson and Howden each added eight. McKenzie Newton notched a double-double with 24 assists and 10 digs. She was one of four Cougars with double-digit digs on the day, as Everson added 19, Ukestad tallied 17, and Howden chipped in with 10.

Minnesota Morris makes its first road trip of the season on Thursday to face Crown College in St. Bonifacius. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.