ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team is set to welcome Minnesota Morris to the Ericksen Center for Saturday's UMAC Tournament Championship. The no. 2 seeded Cougars cruised past St. Scholastica Wednesday night in semifinal action enroute to their eighth straight UMAC championship meeting with the Eagles. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and the winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
 
The Last Time They Met
Northwestern last met up with Minnesota Morris on Wednesday, Oct. 30 when they erupted to a 3-0 win over the Cougars. The Eagles were in search of a sweep to secure the playoff's top seed and home court advantage – and they proved unstoppable in achieving it. The Eagles put together a dominant three-set win to clinch a share of the UMAC Regular Season title. Morris upset Northwestern in the 2018 UMAC Championship, earning their first ever trip to the NCAA tournament. The Eagles had won seven straight tournament titles prior to last season.
 
UNW Stat Leaders
Junior outside hitter, Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian), leads the UMAC in kills this season – averaging 3.51/set. Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) also sits in the top 10, holding the fourth best average in the league at 3.01/set. The Eagles hold the top hitting percentage in the UMAC, averaging .225 on the year through 109 sets played. In addition to their dominant offense, Anna Gasch (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) is the conference's top blocker – averaging .95/set, while rookie libero, Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) just moved up to become the league's dig-leader, averaging 5.63 digs/set. Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) led UNW offensively in the team's last meeting with Morris. Schwitters had 13 kills and added 15 digs in the three-set win.
 
Spotlight on the Cougars
Morris enters Saturday play with a 19-13 overall record and a 7-1 finish in the UMAC, their only conference loss coming to Northwestern this season. Cougars' setter, Layne Hermann, leads the UMAC in assists, averaging 10.04/set on the year. Brenna Tinjum is Morris's top hitter, averaging 2.8/set. The last time UNW met up with Morris, Morgan Miller recorded a team-best five kills. Miller has the second-best hitting percentage in the conference this year (.294).
 
Ticket Information
All UMAC postseason events have the following set admissions prices: Adults, $10; college students and seniors, $5; youth (Age 6-18), $5; age 5 and under, FREE. Any UMAC students, faculty and staff are free with a valid and current institutional ID. No other passes will be accepted.
 
Follow Wednesday's Game
| Live Stats | Live Video | UMAC Championship Site | Game Program
 
Championship action will get underway at 7 p.m. in the Ericksen Center on Saturday, Nov. 9. Webcast and live stats will be available at the links above. For all things Northwestern volleyball, visit www.unweagles.com or follow the Eagles on social at @unwvb on Instagram and Twitter.