SUPERIOR, Wis. – In the final match of the regular season, the University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team defeated the University of Wisconsin-Superior, 3-2 (17-25, 25-21, 26-24, 22-25, 25-8), in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Friday night in Superior, Wis.
 
The Cougars close out the regular season with a 13-11 overall record and a 7-5 mark in the UMAC, while the Yellowjackets fall to 19-10 overall and 8-3 in conference play.
 
The Yellowjackets opened the match by scoring the first five points. Ella Johnson ended the run with a kill set up by Clara Holden, who followed with a service ace. UWS regained momentum and went up by six. A kill from Bella Nelson started a four-point UMM run, with Mary Cate Ziembiec adding her first point of the match. After a pair of UW-Superior runs, the lead grew to 16-9. Kills from Johnson and Braxtyn Meyer chipped away at the deficit, but another five-point Yellowjacket rally pushed their lead to 10. The gap was too much to overcome as the Cougars dropped set one, 25-17.
 
Minnesota Morris took four of the first five points to start set two, with Ziembiec and Nelson each recording kills. A Meyer ace extended the lead to four. Anna Molstad connected on an attack to keep momentum with UMM. One point later, Johnson scored to begin a short rally that boosted the lead to five. After traded points, aces from Allison Dornseif and Ziembiec set the Cougars up with an 18-12 advantage. Molstad added another kill, sparking a three-point run. Johnson scored to bring UMM within two points of taking the set. Two Yellowjacket errors finished it off, giving the Cougars a 25-21 win.
 
Johnson opened set three with a kill. A block by Ziembiec and Meyer made it 5-1. The next Cougar point came on a Nelson-Meyer block. Ziembiec scored back-to-back points to keep UMM in front. Oliviah Lorber recorded her first kill of the match, followed by a Molstad kill, a Holden ace, and a Meyer-Johnson block that pushed Minnesota Morris ahead by seven midway through the set. However, the Yellowjackets rattled off eight straight points to take an 18-17 lead. A Molstad kill and a UWS error put the Cougars back in front. Kills from Molstad, Meyer, and Nelson kept UMM in control, and Ziembiec scored to reach set point. The Yellowjackets tied the set at 24, but Lorber landed a decisive attack to secure the 26-24 win.
 
Holden started the fourth set by scoring off the serve. The lead changed hands four times early, with Dornseif adding another ace to give Minnesota Morris a 7-6 advantage. Ziembiec started a four-point run, with Molstad adding a kill and Ziembiec recording another ace to push the lead to four. UWS responded with four straight points to tie it. The Cougars regained control, and a Holden ace extended the lead to three. A seven-point Yellowjacket run put UWS ahead, 19-15. After trailing by four, Johnson pulled UMM within one at 23-22, but UW-Superior scored the next two points to force a fifth set.
 
The Yellowjackets opened the decisive set with a 3-1 lead. Ziembiec scored to stop the run, and two UWS errors put the Cougars in front. Ziembiec added another point, followed by a Lorber kill, a Meyer ace, and a block from Lorber and Nelson to make it 8-4. Ziembiec then sparked another Cougar surge, as UMM rattled off five straight points, with Molstad contributing three kills and Ziembiec the other two. Ziembiec set up match point with a kill, and Lorber delivered the final point as the Cougars claimed the set 15-8.
 
The Cougar offense was led by Ziembiec, who finished with 19 kills while hitting .333. Molstad followed with 13 kills, while Johnson and Nelson added nine apiece. Holden tallied a team-high 28 assists, with Dornseif adding 19. UMM scored 11 points from the service line, with Holden accounting for four aces.
 
Defensively, Lexi Coon led Minnesota Morris with 20 digs. Dornseif and Ziembiec followed with 11 and 10, respectively. At the net, UMM totaled nine blocks, with Nelson and Meyer recording a match-high four each.
 
The Cougars begin UMAC Tournament action on Wednesday as they travel to the University of Northwestern for a 7 p.m. match.