ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team was defeated 3-0 (18-25, 13-25, 12-25) by the University of Northwestern in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play Friday night in St. Paul, Minn.
 
The Eagles remain undefeated in conference play at 7-0 and 15-6 overall, while the Cougars fall to 10-10 overall and 4-4 in the UMAC.
 
The Cougars took the first two points of the opening set, with Tori Scheler recording the first UMM kill. Lexi Coon followed with a kill after the UNW defense expected the ball to land out, but it caught the line. Mary Cate Ziembiec added a traditional kill, and Coon extended the lead back to two with a service ace. A four-point Eagle rally gave Northwestern its first lead, going up 14-11. A kill from Bella Nelson cut the lead to one, and kills from Ella Johnson and Anna Molstad pulled UMM within one again at 18-17. Northwestern then scored three straight points to extend its lead to four. Scheler broke up the run with a kill, but UNW closed out the set by scoring the next four points to take it, 25-18.
 
Scheler opened the second set with a kill assisted by Clara Holden. After a kill from Nelson and an attack error by UNW, the set was tied early at 3-3. The Eagles began to pull away with a 7-1 run, with Ziembiec providing the lone Cougar point in that stretch. More runs from Northwestern pushed the lead to double digits. Johnson and Ziembiec each recorded kills late, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles claimed set two, 25-13.
 
Northwestern picked up where it left off in set three, starting with the first four points. Holden ended a rally with a successful attack, and three UNW errors pulled the Cougars within one. However, another Northwestern rally restored the lead to six. The Cougars were unable to mount a comeback, falling in the final set, 25-12.
 
Ziembiec and Molstad led the Cougars' attack with five kills each, followed by Johnson and Nelson with four apiece. Holden tallied 12 assists, while Allison Dornseif added eight. Coon recorded the Cougars' lone service ace.
 
Defensively, Coon led the team with 12 digs. At the net, the Cougars totaled four blocks, with Nelson, Molstad, Scheler, and Braxtyn Meyer each contributing two assists.

The Cougars continue their road trip tomorrow (Saturday) as they take on North Central University at 1 p.m.