UMAC Game of the Week: Minnesota Morris vs. Wisconsin-Superior - Volleyball
The UMAC Game of the Week runs each Wednesday during the conference regular season and breaks down one key matchup from one sport.
***UPDATE***
Minnesota Morris wins 3-1
The Matchup
Saturday, Oct. 20 - University of Wisconsin-Superior at University of Minnesota Morris, volleyball, 3 p.m. in Morris, Minnesota
What's at Stake
- Championship dreams - After a win over the University of Northwestern Tuesday, Wisconsin-Superior is currently tied for first with a 12-1 record. A win Saturday would keep alive the Yellowjackets' hopes at least a share of a first-ever UMAC title for volleyball, creating an opportunity for Minnesota Morris to play the spoiler.
- Rematch - After coming from behind to force a fifth set in the first match up on Sept. 22, the Cougars fell 3-2 tot he Yellowjackets. The rematch is an opportunity to even the score this season between the two squads.
- Playoff preview - Heading into Saturday, Northwestern currently holds the postseason tiebreaker (point differential in games played among tied teams) over Wisconsin-Superior should the two finish tied in record at the end of the season. That means Saturday's match would likely be a preview of a semifinal between the Cougars and Yellowjackets given no other conference squads can crack the top three in the standings.
Previously in Action
- Minnesota Morris won its third-straight UMAC match Tuesday at home defeating Martin Luther College 3-0 in which the Cougars did not surrender more than 16 points in any of the three sets.
- Wisconsin-Superior captured a fifth-straight conference win as it ended Northwestern's 65-match regular season UMAC winning streak with a 3-0 decision at home Tuesday night.
Need to Know
- Nearing the end - Both team have already locked up postseason berths. Saturday's match will be the final conference slate for the Cougars, putting them in a position to sit back and watch the rest of the season unfold. Following Saturday's match, the Yellowjackets have two matches against two teams already eliminated from the postseason hunt (North Central University and Northland College).
- Big block - Minnesota Morris leads the conference in UMAC games in blocking by a significant margin (+26) over other squads boasting 1.90 blocks per set and a total of 102 blocks.
- Slight edge - In all offensive categories, Wisconsin-Superior holds a slight edge in second overall while Minnesota Morris is third. Those categories for the 'Jackets include hitting percentage (.285), assists per set (12.36) and kills per set (13.13).
Players to Watch - Minnesota Morris
- Layne Herrmann, Jr., S - All-UMAC last season; UMAC Stats: 10.02 ast/s, .79 aces/s (1st), 2.07 d/s
- Rachel Mathias, Sr., MH - Honorable Mention last season; UMAC Stats: .424% (1st), 2.52 k/s, 0.71 b/s
- Morgan Miller, Jr., MB - All-UMAC last season; UMAC Stats - 1.26 b/s (1st), 2.05 k/s, .337%
Players to Watch - Wisconsin-Superior
- Taylor Howe, Fy., OH - UMAC Stats: 3.07 k/s, .302%
- Cami Sletta, So., RS - UMAC Stats: 2.84 k/s, .364%
- Emily VerWay, Sr., S - All-UMAC last season; UMAC stats: 10.89 ast/s, 2.80 d/s
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2018-19 Game of the Week Archives