MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team enters the penultimate week of the regular season with a pair of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) matches. The Cougars will travel to Martin Luther College on Friday for a 7 p.m. match, followed by a 1 p.m. match at Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday.
 
All matches can be watched on the UMAC Sports Network or by clicking here. To follow the live stats of UMM at MLC, click here and to follow UMM at BLC click here.
 
The volleyball team will secure a spot in the postseason with one more win.
 
The Cougars opened the week against (RV) University of Northwestern but ultimately fell in three sets. Minnesota Morris bounced back with a sweep of North Central University. Over the week, Natalie Wahl led UMM with 13 kills, while Ella Johnson and Bella Nelson followed with 12 each. Rachel Bopp led the defense with 22 digs, and Sella Fleming set up the offense with 34 assists.
 
Last week, Wahl surpassed 200 kills in her first season with the Maroon and Gold, leading UMM with 201. Johnson follows with 191. Also recording more than 100 kills this season are Braxtyn Meyer (126), Nelson (125), and Tori Scheler (117). Fleming leads the conference with 642 assists. From the service line, the Cougars have recorded 116 aces, with Wahl leading the team with 25.
 
Defensively, Bopp reached a milestone by surpassing 300 digs, bringing her total to 319, the most on the team. Johnson and Fleming follow with 276 and 226, respectively. Scheler has had a dominant season at the net, tallying 55 blocks to rank fourth in the UMAC.
 
Martin Luther has a record of 3-17 overall and 2-6 in the UMAC. Last week, the Knights went 1-1, defeating Bethany Lutheran 3-2 before falling to the University of Wisconsin-Superior 3-0. Head coach Emma Holzhueter is in her fifth season with the team. Kenzie Loberger leads the team with 135 kills, followed by Kiara Humann with 122. Anna Kieselhorst leads the defense with 302 digs.
 
Bethany Lutheran holds a record of 4-19 overall and 3-6 in the conference. The Vikings are currently on a five-match losing streak, with their most recent loss coming against Crown College, 3-0. Head coach Laura Evans is in her fourth season at BLC. Holly Hinderks leads the offense with 160 kills, while Avery Carlson leads the team with 342 digs.