UMAC Game of the Week: St. Scholastica at Minnesota Morris - Volleyball
UMAC Game of the Week Archives
The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the UMAC Game of the Week.
This week's UMAC Game of the Week will take place on Saturday, September 26 at 3 p.m. as the University of Minnesota Morris hosts the College of St. Scholastica in UMAC volleyball action.
About the Cougars
Minnesota Morris will open up UMAC play with St. Scholastica on Saturday, looking to get revenge after a non-conference loss to the Saints last Friday in the UMAC Preview. The Cougars and Saints meet just one time in conference play this season, which makes Saturday’s match a big one for both teams. Last season the Cougars rallied back to beat St. Scholastica in the UMAC semi-finals, a match neither team has likely forgot. The race for the UMAC title looks tough this season, which gives Saturday’s match extra importance.
The Cougars will have all three reigning UMAC Players of the Week in action this weekend against the Saints. On Tuesday night Marissa Ekness set a new school record with 92 attacks in a match. She finished with 27 kills, matching a career high. Ekness currently leads the league in kills (238) and kills per set (4.25) on the season.
About the Saints
St. Scholastica went 3-1 over the weekend at the UMAC Preview Tournament held at the University of Northwestern. The Saints swept Minnesota Morris to begin action and then defeated University of Wisconsin-Superior in four sets on Friday. On Saturday, the Saints fell to host, Northwestern, in four hard-fought sets. CSS concluded play with a sweep of Martin Luther College. The three-set victory over Martin Luther on Saturday was the volleyball program’s 700th all-time.
The Saints enter conference play with the top hitting percentage (.214) and most kills per set (12.5) in the league. Reigning UMAC Player of the Year Kortney Morrin is second in the conference in total kills (185) and sixth in digs per set (4.1). Morrin, who earned her 1,000th kill on Friday is 49 digs shy of 1,000 in that category.
Game Notes
-St. Scholastica’s victory over Minnesota Morris on Friday snapped a five-match losing streak to the Cougars.
-Five of the last six meetings between the Saints and Cougars in Morris have gone five sets.
-CSS has not won in Morris since the 2012 season.
- Saturday’s match will feature the UMAC kill leaders. UMM’s Ekness leads the league with 238 on the season while CSS’s Morrin is currently second with 185.
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