ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team went 1-1 on the final day of the St. Paul Classic, falling to Carleton College, 3-2 (25-16, 26-28, 19-25, 25-22, 9-15), before defeating Macalester College, 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-22), Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.
Minnesota Morris started the first match of the day with
Tori Scheler and
Bella Nelson combining for a block for the first point. Minnesota Morris won the following three points as well, with kills from
Natalie Wahl and
Ella Johnson and an ace from
Sella Fleming. A kill from Nelson and an ace from Wahl pushed the lead to five early. Carleton erased the lead by scoring five straight points. Points continued to be traded until the set was tied at 13-13. UMM gained separation after a six-point rally highlighted by a kill from Nelson, an ace from Wahl, and blocks by Nelson and Scheler. The advantage grew to seven after a kill from Scheler and an ace from
Rachel Bopp. Minnesota Morris scored the final three points of the set on errors by the Knights to take the opening set, 25-16.
After dropping the opening two points, the Cougars answered by scoring the following five, with a kill from Wahl, an ace from Fleming, and a block from Scheler and Wahl. Scheler and Nelson kept the lead at three after both converted attacks. The Knights went on a five-point run to retake the lead and would soon push the edge to four. The lead grew to 19-14 before kills from Nelson and Scheler started to chip away at it. The Knights had set point at 24-21, but Minnesota Morris scored the next four points on kills from Scheler, Nelson, and Wahl to take a 25-24 lead. Carleton would close out the set, winning 28-26.
The third set started with a kill from Nelson, set up by Fleming. Scheler started a three-point run to put the Cougars up early. The Knights took the lead after a six-point rally.
Braxtyn Meyer ended the rally with a kill, and
Clara Holden followed with an ace. Minnesota Morris scored back-to-back points with kills from Meyer and Fleming to tie the set at 10-10. Carleton started to pull away after going on a 7-1 run. The Cougars pulled within two after scoring four straight points. That would be the closest UMM would get to the lead as the Knights took the third set, 25-19.
Scheler was set up by Fleming for the opening point of the fourth set. She then scored the following two points for the Cougars, with Nelson capping off the three-point rally. The Knights drew level, but points from Meyer and Johnson restored the three-point edge. When Carleton tied the set, Minnesota Morris followed with three more points to go up 12-9. A block by Scheler and Nelson sparked a five-point run, with Johnson, Scheler, and Bopp scoring on attacks to make the score 18-12. The lead grew to 23-15, but the Knights kept fighting, scoring the following five points. Johnson ended the run with an attack. Meyer closed out the set at 25-22 to force a fifth set.
Scheler again opened the scoring after being set up by Fleming. A kill from Nelson and another from Scheler leveled the set at 3-3. A run of four points put the Knights out in front. The next five points were traded, keeping UMM close. Wahl scored back-to-back points to pull within two. The Knights took the match after scoring five of the final six points, winning 15-9.
Scheler scored a career-high 14 kills, leading the Cougar attack. Nelson and Meyer also reached double figures with 13 and 11, respectively. Fleming recorded 45 assists, another career high. The Cougars scored off the serve eight times, with Wahl, Fleming, and Holden each recording two aces.
Defensively, Bopp paced the team with 27 digs. Four other Cougars reached double figures in Johnson (16), Fleming (14), Holden (13), and Wahl (12). At the net, Minnesota Morris had nine blocks. Scheler led the way with five, including one solo and four assisted.
In the second match of the day, the Cougars scored the first two points, with Wahl getting the match started with a kill. Macalester responded with a six-point run to force a UMM timeout. Out of the timeout, Scheler was set up by Fleming for a kill to end the run. Minnesota Morris started a five-point run to retake the lead after a kill from Nelson got things rolling. Midway through the set, the lead continued to trade hands. Wahl recorded a kill, and Fleming followed with an ace to put UMM up 14-12. After that point, the Cougars never trailed. A three-point run for UMM forced a timeout. Fleming recorded the final kill, giving Minnesota Morris a 25-20 victory.
Scheler was responsible for the first three points for the Cougars with two kills and a block. Another block from Nelson and Scheler put UMM back in front at 5-4. Johnson sparked a four-point rally, with Nelson adding a kill and Bopp scoring off the serve. Johnson scored another kill, and Holden followed with an ace to extend the lead to five. Wahl scored three points in a row on attacks as the lead grew to 17-10. An ace from Wahl pushed the lead to 10. The Cougars cruised for the rest of the set, winning 25-14.
Minnesota Morris started the third set up 4-1, with Wahl converting on an early attack. The Cougars kept the small lead throughout the early parts of the set. Meyer recorded a kill, followed by an ace from Johnson and then a kill from Wahl to push the edge to five. A 9-2 run by the Scots put them out in front by three. The Cougars retook the lead after scoring eight unanswered points. During the stretch, Scheler and Johnson recorded kills. Macalester kept climbing back into the set, but Wahl ended the match with a kill set up by Holden, allowing the Cougars to take the match 3-0 with a 25-22 victory in the final set.
The Cougars finished the match hitting .219, with their best set coming in the second when they hit .333. Wahl tallied a team-leading 11 kills, with Johnson and Nelson rounding out the top three with nine and eight, respectively. Fleming assisted on 27 points. Holden led the team in aces with two of the team's six.
Defensively, Johnson had a team-high 14 digs, with Bopp following with 12. The Cougars had three blocks, with Meyer, Scheler, and Nelson each recording one.
The Cougars make their home debut on Friday at the Minnesota Morris Quad. The first match has UMM taking on Martin Luther College at 3 p.m.
