ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris Volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-21) to the College of St. Benedict in their opening match of the College of St. Benedict Tournament on Friday night in St. Joseph, Minn.
 
The Bennies improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Cougars open at 0-1.
 
St. Benedict came out strong, scoring 11 of the first 12 points in the opening set. Bella Nelson recorded the first Cougar kill of the 2025 season off a set from Allison Dornseif. After back-to-back attack errors by CSB, followed by three Cougar kills from Anna Molstad and Mary Cate Ziembiec, UMM closed the gap to within five. While the Bennies began to pull away, continued attack errors kept the Cougars in the set. Ella Johnson added two more kills late, but St. Benedict secured set one, 25-17.
 
The second set started similarly, with St. Benedict building an early lead. Johnson scored three of the Cougars' first four points to help cut into the deficit. However, attack errors continued to plague UMM, contributing to the Bennies' growing lead. Trailing 10-20, the Cougars rallied, with Payton Merth recording three kills and CSB committing two attack errors, bringing it to a six-point set. The Bennies responded with a 5-1 run to close out set two, 25-15.
 
The third set began with an ace from Clara Holden. The teams traded points early, with the Bennies holding a slight 14-11 lead midway through. The Cougars responded with three straight points, including kills from Johnson and Ziembiec, to tie it up. However, St. Benedict regained control and pushed ahead 21-16. UMM pulled within three but couldn't get any closer, dropping the final set 25-21.
 
Johnson led the Cougar attack with eight kills and a .263 hitting percentage, followed by Ziembiec with seven kills. Mostad added five kills to round out the top three attackers. Dornseif recorded a team-high 15 assists, while Holden added 10. Both also notched one service ace.
 
Defensively, Lexi Coon paced the Cougars with 19 digs, with Johnson adding nine. At the net, Braxtyn Meyer led with four blocks, while Nelson and Tori Scheler each contributed three.
 
The Cougars continue tournament play tomorrow (Saturday), taking on Nebraska Wesleyan University at 11 a.m. and Luther College at 5 p.m.