NEW ULM, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team bounced back with a 3-1 (25-11, 22-25, 25-13, 25-17) victory over Martin Luther College in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play on Saturday afternoon in New Ulm, Minn.
 
The Cougars improve to 7-7 overall and 2-1 in the UMAC, while the Knights fall to 2-13 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
 
Minnesota Morris came out swinging, with Braxtyn Meyer and Mary Cate Ziembiec recording early kills. Successful attacks from Bella Nelson and Ella Johnson extended the lead. UMM began to pull away after a six-point rally, highlighted by kills from Meyer, Nelson, and Johnson, along with an ace from Ziembiec to go up 16-8. Johnson then sparked an eight-point run to bring the Cougars to set point. A block by Johnson sealed the opening set, 25-11.
 
Martin Luther started strong in set two, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. A kill from Payton Merth ended the Knights' rally, but MLC responded with three more points to extend its advantage. Kills from Anna Molstad and Rachel Bopp began to close the gap for the Cougars. After trading points, UMM went on a four-point run fueled by kills from Molstad, Bopp, and Tori Scheler to pull within two. Another kill from Bopp and an ace from Clara Holden brought UMM within one at 23-22. However, the Knights closed out the set with two straight points to win 25-23.
 
Holden opened the third set with a service ace, but the Knights answered with four straight points. A kill by Meyer evened the score at 5-5. After trading points, the Cougars went on their first big run of the set. Ziembiec scored twice on successful attacks, leading to a seven-point surge capped off by an ace from Lexi Coon. Back-to-back kills from Ziembiec and Nelson extended the lead to seven. Down the stretch, Minnesota Morris scored six straight points—featuring two aces from Ziembiec—to set up set point. Johnson closed it out with a kill, giving UMM a 25-13 win.
 
The Cougars trailed early in set four, down 7-3. A Johnson kill sparked momentum for UMM, and the team tallied four straight kills to tie the set at 9-9, with contributions from Johnson, Scheler, and Nelson. Johnson tied it again at 11-11 with a service ace, and Ziembiec capped off a six-point run to give the Cougars a four-point lead. Holden then scored off the serve for three consecutive points, increasing the lead to 21-14. UMM closed out the match with four straight points on kills from Meyer and Johnson and two aces from Ziembiec.
 
The Cougars surpassed 50 kills for the fourth time this season, finishing with 56 and posting their best hitting percentage of the year at .285. Johnson led the team with 14 kills, followed by Ziembiec with 10. Nelson and Molstad added nine and eight, respectively. Holden totaled 30 assists, while Allison Dornseif contributed 17. From the service line, UMM recorded 14 aces, with Holden and Ziembiec each delivering a match-high five.
 
Defensively, Coon led the team with 19 digs, while Johnson and Ziembiec each tallied 14. The Cougars registered eight blocks, including seven solo efforts. Johnson recorded two solo blocks, while Meyer had one solo and one assisted block.
 
Minnesota Morris returns home for a 7 p.m. match against North Central University.