ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team swept Crown College 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-20) in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play on Tuesday night in St. Bonifacius, Minn.
 
The Cougars improve to 10-9 overall and 4-3 in the UMAC, while the Polars fall to 5-12 overall and 1-6 in conference play.
 
Clara Holden opened the match with a service ace, followed by another from Ella Johnson to give the Cougars an early edge. A pair of kills by Mary Cate Ziembiec extended the lead, and kills from Tori Scheler and Anna Molstad forced Crown to take an early timeout. Minnesota Morris then rattled off four straight points with kills from Molstad, Braxtyn Meyer, and Johnson. A kill by Meyer pushed the lead to double digits at 19-9. Molstad brought the Cougars to set point, and a Crown error sealed the 25-14 first-set win.
 
In the second set, Crown briefly took the lead at 5-4 before an attack error leveled the score. A block by Scheler gave the Cougars the lead, and Johnson followed with a kill to make it 12-8. Meyer added to the lead with two more kills off assists from Holden. Ziembiec and Bella Nelson helped close the set, and after two late points from Crown, Ziembiec delivered the final kill to secure another 25-14 win.
 
Set three began with early kills from Nelson, Ziembiec, and Scheler. Though Crown closed an early gap to tie the set, Minnesota Morris regained control with kills from Scheler and Molstad. Crown continued to challenge, tying the set again at 18-18. Ziembiec responded with back-to-back points on a kill and a service ace. Molstad then started a final Cougar rally, followed by two points from Meyer. Fittingly, Holden closed out the match the same way she started it—with a service ace—clinching a 25-20 win and the sweep.
 
Ziembiec led the Cougar offense with a match-high 12 kills while hitting an impressive .476. Nelson and Meyer followed with eight and seven kills, respectively. Holden recorded 17 assists, while Allison Dornseif added 13. The Cougars tallied five service aces, with Johnson leading the team with two.
 
Defensively, Lexi Coon paced both teams with 16 digs. Holden (12) and Ziembiec (11) also reached double figures in digs. At the net, Minnesota Morris totaled three team blocks, with Scheler contributing two.
 
The Cougars return to action Friday night when they travel to face the University of Northwestern at 7 p.m.