ASHLAND, Wis. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team kept pace in the race for the UMAC regular season title on Saturday with a three-set win over Northland College (25-16, 25-12, 25-21). The Cougars improve to 19-6 (11-1 UMAC) on the season.

Minnesota Morris let its offense handle things in the first and third sets, while a litany of Northland errors contributed to the second-set win for the Cougars. Kills from Lydia Nash, Laura Wellbrock, and Tori Scheler broke a 6-6 tie in the opening set and paved the way to a quick 1-0 lead.

The second set began with a 7-0 lead for the Cougars, including a pair of aces from Wellbrock. The Minnesota Morris advantage grew to 12-1 after a pair of Maggie Jones aces and the LumberJills would never get closer than nine as the Cougars went up, 2-0, on the day.

The final set was more of a challenge. Northland led, 16-12, and maintained a lead as late as 20-19. Down the stretch, Minnesota Morris received kills from Wellbrock, Mary Cate Ziembiec, Lacie O'Leary, and Madeline Monaco to break open a 21-21 tie and finish off the sweep.

Scheler finished with 10 kills and a .533 hitting percentage in the match. Wellbrock added nine kills and a .692 hitting percentage. McKenzie Newton had 39 assists on the day. Ava Brunn finished with 18 digs, while Ziembiec added 11.

Minnesota Morris wraps up the regular season with a pair of home matches next weekend. First up is a battle for first place in the UMAC as the University of Northwestern comes to town on Friday for a 7 p.m. match.