HOUSTON, Texas. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team fell in its matches against the University of St. Thomas, 3-0 (12-25, 15-25, 20-25), and Austin College, 3-1 (25-21, 12-25, 21-25, 24-26), on the first day of the First Responders Tournament in Houston, Texas.
 
Clara Holden started the match against St. Thomas with a service ace, but the Celts responded with a 7-1 rally to take an early lead. Tori Scheler recorded the first two kills for UMM. St. Thomas continued to build its lead with multiple scoring runs. The Cougars were only able to score back-to-back points once in the set, both on UST errors. St. Thomas took the first set, 25-12.
 
The Cougars also opened the second set with the first point, this time from a Mary Cate Ziembiec kill assisted by Holden. UST went on a small run, but a kill from Oliviah Lorber and another Celt error kept UMM within one. The set remained close until a five-point St. Thomas run pushed the lead to 13-6. The Cougars responded with a small rally of their own, highlighted by a Ziembiec kill. Down the stretch, however, UMM couldn't keep up with the Celts' pace, dropping the second set 25-15.
 
Holden opened the third set with back-to-back service aces. St. Thomas answered with four straight points, but Bella Nelson tied the set at 6-6 with another Cougar ace. Ziembiec recorded the team's first kill of the set to make it 12-8. The Cougars pulled within two following a three-point rally that included a Nelson kill and back-to-back points from Ziembiec off a serve and an attack. UMM hung around but couldn't close the gap, losing the third set 25-20.
 
Ziembiec and Scheler led UMM with six kills apiece in the opening match, followed by Lorber with four. Holden assisted on 13 points and led the team with three service aces. Defensively, Lexi Coon and Ziembiec each reached double-digit digs with 12 and 11, respectively. The Cougars recorded four blocks, with Lorber and Ziembiec leading the way with two each.
 
Against Austin College, the Kangaroos opened the match with four straight points, but the Cougars responded with a 12-point rally. Key plays included kills from Ella Johnson and Ziembiec, three aces from Ziembiec, and a block by Nelson and Scheler. The Kangaroos cut the lead to two, but a kill from Anna Molstad sparked another rally. UMM scored six unanswered points, including attacks from Ziembiec and Johanna Bartkey. Despite a late push from Austin, Ziembiec closed out the set with a kill on a Holden assist as UMM took the first set, 25-21.
 
Austin College opened set two with seven straight points. A service error gave UMM its first point, but another long Kangaroo run pushed the lead into double digits. Trailing by 13, Minnesota Morris mounted a small rally, including a Molstad kill and three aces from Payton Merth to cut the deficit to eight. The Cougars couldn't make up more ground and dropped set two, 25-12.
 
Nelson opened the third set with a kill assisted by Holden, and the Cougars built an early lead with points from Johnson and Nelson. An ace from Johnson put UMM ahead 9-4. The Kangaroos began to close the gap, but a kill and an ace from Ziembiec extended the lead again. UMM went up 19-15 after Allison Dornseif set up Ziembiec for a kill. Austin College tied the set at 20-20 and finished on a 5-1 run to win it 25-21.
 
Neither team could gain separation early in the fourth set. Lorber delivered two aces to give UMM a slight edge. The first two-point lead came at 14-12 following a Nelson kill and another Lorber ace. Austin tied the set at 18-18 after scoring four of the previous five points. The teams traded leads in the final stretch, each going on short runs. Ultimately, the Kangaroos closed out the match with the final three points to take the set 26-24.
 
Ziembiec led the attack with 11 kills, followed by Nelson with nine. Johnson and Molstad chipped in six kills each. Holden tallied 16 assists, with Dornseif adding nine. The Cougars totaled 15 service aces for the second time this season. Ziembiec led the team with five, Lorber added four, and Merth had three. Defensively, Coon paced UMM with 19 digs. Holden, Johnson, and Ziembiec also reached double-digit digs. At the net, Minnesota Morris recorded seven blocks, with Molstad contributing a team-high three.
 
The Cougars wrap up the tournament tomorrow (Saturday) as they take on Howard Payne University at 12:15 p.m.