University of Minnesota Morris Athletics

NEW ULM, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team swept Martin Luther College, 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-17), in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Friday night in New Ulm, Minn.
 
The Cougars improve to 12-10 overall and 7-3 in the UMAC, while the Knights drop to 3-18 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
 
Sella Fleming gave the Cougars their first lead of the match with a point off the serve. The first UMM kill came from Bella Nelson after being set up by Fleming. An Ella Johnson kill, followed by another kill from Nelson, pushed the lead to six. A block from Natalie Wahl and Braxtyn Meyer made the score 12-4 and forced an MLC timeout. Kills from Fleming and Meyer capped off a six-point Cougar run. The lead grew to double digits after five straight MLC errors. Johnson capped off the first set with a kill, giving the Cougars a 25-11 win.
 
Tori Scheler scored the opening point of the second set. Johnson, Nelson, and Meyer scored to keep pace with the Knights' offense. Wahl converted on an attack to make the score 9-7. The lead grew to four after an ace from Fleming, followed by a kill from Nelson. The Cougars continued to extend their lead with a kill from Meyer and a block from Fleming and Meyer. Meyer added another kill to spark a five-point UMM run. Wahl closed out the second set with a kill, giving the Cougars a 25-16 win.
 
Fleming scored the opening point of the third set. Points were traded early, with Nelson and Johnson scoring on attacks while Wahl and Scheler recorded a block. Johnson scored on a serve to help grow the lead to three. Scheler scored on an attack to start a three-point run, with Johnson adding another point during the rally. Late in the set, UMM strung together three more points with a kill and a block from Fleming, an ace from Meyer, and a kill from Wahl. Nelson ended the set with a kill, giving the Cougars a 25-17 win.
 
Meyer led the attack with 10 kills while hitting a team-high .529. Wahl and Nelson followed with eight kills apiece. As a team, the Cougars hit .300, with their best set coming in the third at .303. Fleming set up the offense with 25 assists. She also led the team in aces, recording two of the team's four.
 
Defensively, Rachel Bopp and Fleming paced the team with 17 digs. Johnson rounded out the top three with 10. At the net, the Cougars recorded three blocks, with Wahl and Meyer leading the team with two block assists apiece.
 
The Cougars continue their road trip as they take on Bethany Lutheran College at 1 p.m.