University of Minnesota Morris Athletics

MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris volleyball team improved to 3-0 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play after sweeping Bethany Lutheran College 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18) Thursday night in Morris, Minn.
 
The win improves the Cougars to 7-4 overall and 3-0 in the UMAC, while the Vikings drop to 2-9 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
 
The Cougars started the match with a four-point rally capped by a kill from Tori Scheler. Ella Johnson recorded her first kill to keep the lead at four. The Vikings stayed in it, cutting the lead to 12-11. Shortly after, Clara Holden restored the four-point edge with a point off the serve. Oliviah Lorber got UMM to set point with a kill, and Braxtyn Meyer scored the final point to give the Cougars the 25-23 win.
 
Minnesota Morris scored the first two points of the second set, with Lorber recording the first UMM kill. The Vikings started to gain separation after scoring six of the next seven points. Johnson and Natalie Wahl scored on attacks to chip away at the lead. After trailing 15-11, the Cougars scored the next eight points to retake the lead, highlighted by kills from Johnson, Meyer, and Lorber, along with an ace from Rachel Bopp. Late in the set, Johnson scored off the serve, and Meyer scored the final two points to give the Cougars the 25-18 win.
 
The first few points were traded between the teams to start the third set before the Cougars went on a five-point rally. Wahl and Scheler scored on attacks, while Johnson and Scheler combined for two blocks. When BLC closed the gap, UMM regained separation with help from Scheler and Wahl. The Vikings took the lead at 10-9, but the Cougars answered with an eight-point run. Wahl recorded three straight kills during the rally. Minnesota Morris kept the lead and extended it with kills from Wahl, Scheler, and Sella Fleming to push the advantage to 10. Scheler scored the final two points to give UMM the 25-18 win and complete the sweep.
 
The Cougar attack was led by Wahl, Meyer, and Scheler with nine kills each. Scheler hit an impressive .529, recording nine kills on 17 attacks, while Meyer followed with a .500 hitting percentage. Johnson and Lorber followed with four kills apiece. Fleming tallied 29 assists. From the service line, the Cougars recorded five aces, with Bopp totaling a team-high two.
 
Bopp and Holden led the defense with 15 digs each. Wahl rounded out the top three with 10 digs. The Cougars had two blocks, coming from Johnson and Scheler.
 
The Cougars step away from conference play as they compete at the St. Olaf/Carleton Tournament, starting Friday against No. 25 St. Olaf College at 5 p.m.