Minnesota, Morris 3
Presentation 1 (15, 25-27, 25, 21)
Aberdeen, South Dakota, has not been a favorite place for the Cougar volleyball team to visit the past two seasons. On their last two matches against Presentation College (in Aberdeen) the Cougars have gone up 2 sets to none, only to lose both matches 3-2.
They earned a bit of redemption on Tuesday night with a convincing 3-1 win over the Saints.
The Cougars cruised through an easy first set, making a long service run behind junior Sam Pfannenstein, opening up a 10 point lead and never looking back for a 25-15 win.
Team errors in the second set hobbled the Cougars. Of the Saints first 10 points, seven came on Cougar errors. They went back and forth with the Saints, running out of substitutions, but prevailing on successive kills from first year Allie Humphrey and junior Jordan Olerud.
In the third set, the Cougars committed some early errors again, giving Presentation an 8-4 lead when head coach Chad Braegelmann called timeout, but it didn't help calm his players.
"Those silly errors did us in. After that hesitation creeped in and we didn't play well," he said.
The Saints won the set, 25-21.
The Cougars build an early four point lead in the fourth set behind a service runs by Olerud and first year Jen Bissel. They maintained that cushion to the end for a 25-21 set and a 3-1 win.
Junior Megan Theis led the Cougars with a season-high 15 kills. A junior college transfer, Theis says the chemistry between backline and frontline has improved throughout the year: "We're feeling more confident every day. The setters have more options and that makes it easier for them to pass."
The win brings the Cougars' record to 10-12 overall and 4-3 in conference. They are currently in fourth place in the UMAC, the final slot for post-season play. The Cougars have never advanced to the post-season tournament.
Despite the big win against Presentation, Braegelmann is cautious going forward: "We're halfway through the season and hopefully we're getting excited to position ourselves for the post-season. We still have to beat some tough teams on the road and some tough teams at home. We still have a lot of work to do," he said.
Box Score
Statistical Leaders
Kills: Theis (15), Humphrey (11)
Sets: Natalie Thomas (29), Pfannenstein (17)
Digs: Colleen Hermes (20), Olerud (13)
