MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team won its home opener 3-1 (22-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-16) against Crown College in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play Tuesday night in Morris, Minn.
 
The Cougars improve to 6-6 overall and 1-0 in the UMAC, while the Polars fall to 4-7 and 0-1 in conference play.
 
Clara Holden opened the match with a service ace. Crown pulled ahead early with a 6-3 lead, but a kill from Anna Molstad and another ace from Holden tied the set at 9-9. The Polars responded with a four-point run, but Mary Cate Ziembiec helped the Cougars rally with back-to-back aces to even the score at 14-14. The set remained close, with key kills from Ella Johnson, Tori Scheler, and Ziembiec tying it again at 18-18. However, Crown closed out the first set with a late push, winning 25-22.
 
The Cougars took control early in set two after Bella Nelson connected on an attack. A six-point run, highlighted by kills from Molstad, Braxtyn Meyer, and Ziembiec, along with an ace from Lexi Coon, gave UMM momentum. Another six-point rally extended the lead to double digits, with Meyer and Johnson adding kills and Ziembiec recording another ace. The Cougars ended the set on a 5-1 run to win 25-13.
 
Molstad and Scheler helped Minnesota Morris jump out to a 3-0 lead in the third set. Strong early rallies gave the Cougars a 10-3 advantage. Crown cut the deficit to three, but a kill from Holden ended the rally. UMM then scored five consecutive points—all on kills—led by Molstad, Payton Merth, and Holden to go up 21-13. Crown threatened late, but back-to-back points from Merth and Ziembiec secured the 25-19 set win.
 
In the fourth set, the Cougars jumped out to an early lead with contributions from Molstad, Merth, and Coon. Oliviah Lorber added a key kill to extend the advantage. Crown narrowed the gap to within one, but Minnesota Morris responded with a 7-1 run, sparked by a Ziembiec kill and capped off by a Molstad finish. A final four-point surge closed out the match 25-16 for UMM.
 
Molstad and Ziembiec led the Cougar offense with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Holden dished out a team-high 20 assists, while Allison Dornseif added 19. The Cougars totaled eight service aces, with Holden and Ziembiec tallying three each.
 
Defensively, Holden paced the team with 21 digs. Ziembiec and Coon followed with 17 and 16, respectively, while Dornseif also reached double digits with 10. UMM recorded three blocks, with Molstad and Scheler combining on two.
 
Minnesota Morris continues UMAC play on Saturday, traveling to Bethany Lutheran for a 7 p.m. match in Mankato, Minn.