MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team was defeated 3-1 (20-25, 18-25, 25-21, 23-25) by Bethany Lutheran College in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action Friday night in Mankato, Minn.
 
The win moves the Vikings to 10-5 overall and 2-0 in the UMAC, while the Cougars drop to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
 
Mary Cate Ziembiec gave UMM an early 2-0 lead with a kill assisted by Lexi Coon. Ella Johnson regained the lead for the Cougars at 4-3, but the Vikings started to pull away after a three-point rally. Another run by BLC extended the lead to six. Minnesota Morris cut the lead to one after kills from Johnson, Braxtyn Meyer, and Anna Molstad. However, the Vikings responded with another rally and took set one, 25-20.
 
Bethany Lutheran jumped out to a 7-1 start in set two. A kill from Johnson and an ace from Molstad began to chip away at the deficit. Despite trailing by double digits, UMM mounted a comeback with kills from Johnson and Bella Nelson, and a service ace from Johnson cut the lead to five. The Cougars, however, couldn't close the gap and dropped the set, 25-18.
 
After losing the first two points of set three, UMM responded with two kills from Nelson and one from Ziembiec to take the lead. After trading points, the Cougars pulled ahead by two. Ziembiec capped off a 5-1 rally to increase the lead to four. The Vikings briefly took a 16-15 lead, but Minnesota Morris responded with back-to-back points to regain the advantage. Down the stretch, blocks from Tori Scheler, Meyer, and Ziembiec helped the Cougars pull away. Meyer recorded the final kill for UMM to win the set, 25-21.
 
Ziembiec started set four with a kill assisted by Clara Holden. After a back-and-forth exchange, Nelson scored off a serve to give the Cougars a 7-4 lead. The lead continued to trade hands, but UMM built a four-point advantage, sparked by a three-point rally initiated by Molstad. The set was later tied at 20-20. The Vikings went up 24-22, and on match point, a long rally ended with a BLC point to close out the match, 25-23.
 
Johnson and Nelson led the Cougar attack, each reaching double-digit kills with 13 and 11, respectively. Ziembiec rounded out the top three with eight kills. Holden tallied 20 assists, while Allison Dornseif chipped in with 12. At the service line, UMM totaled four aces, with Nelson recording a pair.
 
Defensively, Coon posted a career-high 24 digs, followed by Ziembiec with 14. Johnson and Holden each added nine. The Cougars recorded a season-high 10 blocks, with Molstad leading the way with five, and Meyer and Scheler contributing four each.
 
Minnesota Morris returns to action tomorrow (Saturday) on the road against Martin Luther College at 1 p.m.