MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team was defeated 3-0 (22-25, 12-25, 14-25) by the (RV) University of Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play at James Gremmels Court in Morris, Minn.
 
The win moves the Eagles to 10-5 overall and 3-0 in UMAC play, while the Cougars drop to 8-8 overall and 3-2 in the conference.
 
The Cougars got off to a fast start in the opening set, scoring five straight points—including an ace by Ella Johnson and a kill by Mary Cate Ziembiec—to force an early timeout from Northwestern. Kills by Tori Scheler and Ziembiec helped maintain a four-point cushion, and Anna Molstad added two kills to keep the momentum going. The Eagles eventually tied the set at 10-10, and the two teams traded the next several points.
 
Northwestern took its first lead since 1-0 at 16-15. A service error by the Eagles and an ace by Braxtyn Meyer gave UMM the lead back. Johnson scored back-to-back points to extend the margin, but a three-point run by the Eagles gave them their largest lead at 22-20. Northwestern went on to take the first set, 25-22.
 
In set two, Bella Nelson gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead with UMM's first kill of the frame, but the Eagles responded with a seven-point run to take a 9-3 lead. Ziembiec stopped the run with a kill set up by Clara Holden, but the Cougars couldn't close the gap. Another six-point surge from Northwestern pushed the lead into double digits, and UMM dropped the second set, 25-12.
 
Minnesota Morris kept the third set close early behind kills from Nelson and Ziembiec. However, a few small runs by the Eagles allowed them to pull away. A six-point rally extended Northwestern's lead to 11. UMM tried to respond with a kill from Nelson and back-to-back aces from Johnson, followed by a three-point run featuring a pair of kills from Ziembiec. But the late push wasn't enough, as the Eagles closed out the match with a 25-14 set win.
 
Ziembiec led the Cougars with 12 kills. Nelson followed with eight kills while hitting .250, and Johnson added six. Holden dished out a team-high 21 assists, while Johnson also led from the service line with three of UMM's four aces.
 
Defensively, Lexi Coon and Holden reached double digits in digs with 15 and 11, respectively. The Cougars tallied three blocks, all assisted by Scheler.
 
Minnesota Morris returns to the court on Oct. 11 for a nonconference matchup against the College of St. Scholastica. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. at James Gremmels Court.