ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team posted a 3-0 sweep of Crown College on Wednesday night (25-16, 25-19, 25-13), improving to 15-6 (7-1 UMAC) on the season.

Hitting .272 as a team on the night, Minnesota Morris recorded 52 kills to only 21 for Crown in the match. The rout began early on with a five-point run powered by three Anna Molstad kills to take a 7-3 lead in the first set. After the Polars closed within two, 10-8, the Cougars reeled off nine straight points that included two kills and two solo blocks from Maggie Jones to make it 19-8. The lead topped out at 22-9 before Lydia Nash finished off the nine-point victory.

The second set would end up as the closest of the night despite 19 kills in the set from the Cougars. Minnesota Morris trailed by three points early on until it scored 11 of the next 12 to go on top, 14-7. To their credit, the Polars battled back and got within three on two occasions. In the late stages of the set, Mary Cate Ziembiec posted three straight kills and Sydney Petersen ended it to stake the Cougars to a 2-0 lead in the match.

Jones and Ziembiec combined for four of the five kills in a five-point run for Minnesota Morris early in the third set that made it 7-1. After Crown got within 11-8, the Cougars took off and breezed to the win, scoring six of the next seven and eventually growing the lead to double-digits at 20-10. Minnesota Morris tacked on the final four points of the match to close things out.

Jones led the UMN Morris attack with 10 kills and a .474 hitting percentage. Ziembiec had eight kills and Molstad chipped in with seven. Both Sydney Eckhoff and McKenzie Newton finished with double-doubles. Newton logged 20 assists and a match-high 18 digs, while Eckhoff had 10 assists and 14 digs. Ava Brunn (15) and Ziembiec (13) also reached double-digits in digs on the night. 

Wednesday's win finished off a stretch of seven straight road matches for Minnesota Morris. The Cougars will return to James Gremmels Court on Friday night to play host to Martin Luther College beginning at 7 p.m.