DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – For the first time since 2003, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) will have a volleyball preview tournament where league schools will face each other in non-conference matches. St. Scholastica will be at the University of Northwestern on Friday and Saturday.
 
Where:
Ericksen Center – St. Paul, Minn.
 
When:
Friday
vs. Minnesota Morris – 3 p.m.
vs. UW-Superior – 5 p.m.
Saturday
at Northwestern – 11 a.m.
vs. Martin Luther – 1 p.m.
 
Live Stats Friday: http://unweagles.com/sports/2014/10/11/gen_1011140915.aspx?
Live Stats Saturday: http://unweagles.com/sports/2012/11/7/gen_1107121456.aspx?
Live Video vs. Northwestern: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/unw/?

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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 6-5, 0-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Last Action: The Saints had their home opener on Tuesday night at the Reif Gymnasium, but University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire spoiled the party, sweeping the Saints in three sets … CSS had its worst hitting performance of the season with an attack percentage of .064 … The Saints also had a season-low 49 digs in the loss.
 
Morrin Nearing 1,000 Kills: Senior Kortney Morrin (Grantsburg, Wis./Grantsburg HS (Northern State)) needs only one more kill to hit 1,000 for her career … She is likely to hit that milestone in Friday's match vs. Minnesota Morris, which will also be her 100^th match in a CSS uniform … Morrin can become the eighth known player to record 1,000 kills in program history … She is also within 100 digs of 1,000 for her career as she went over 900 Tuesday night.
 
Approaching 700: The CSS volleyball program is three wins shy of 700 all time.
 
Why the New Format: This year's UMAC schedule will feature just a single round-robin format where the Saints will only play eight conference matches … The UMAC preview tournament prior to the start of conference play splits up the top five teams in the league from the previous year at one location and the bottom four at another location.

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  UMAC Preseason Poll
1. 64 Points – University of Northwestern (8 First Place Votes)
2. 53 Points – College of St. Scholastica (1)
3. 51 Points – University of Minnesota-Morris
4. 44 Points – University of Wisconsin-Superior
5. 35 Points – Martin Luther College
6. 30 Points – Bethany Lutheran College
7. 17 Points – North Central University
8. 16 Points – Crown College
9. 14 Points – Northland College 

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Upcoming Opponents this Weekend
Minnesota Morris Cougars
Record: 5-5
The Cougars will enter the weekend having lost four of its last five matches … However, the one win came against nationally-ranked University of St. Thomas in three sets … Sophomore Marissa Ekness leads the conference with 4.06 kills per set, while senior Abby Tietz leads the league with a .291 hitting percentage … Brooke Decker leads the UMAC with a 9.37 assist per set.
 
UW-Superior Yellowjackets
Record: 7-3
The Yellowjackets had a six-match winning streak snapped with a 3-1 loss to Hamline University on Monday … UWS has the best non-conference record of any of the UMAC teams up to this point with the Saints owning the second-best non-conference record … Senior Stephanie Bandelin leads the squad with 105 kills … Sophomore Anna Hendrix leads the league averaging one block per set … Superior as a team has a conference-best 69 blocks this season … Another sophomore MacKenzie Dahlin leads the team with 124 digs and freshman setter Emily Verway leads the UMAC with 18 service aces.
 
Northwestern Eagles
Record: 5-6
The Eagles are coming off a pair of back-to-back five-set matches, including a come-from-behind victory at the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Wednesday, which saw Northwestern rally from two sets down to win … Wednesday's win snapped a three-match losing streak … Lindsey Peterson has led the team with 120 kills this season, while Jackie Foster leads the UMAC with 5.48 digs per set on the year … Defense has been key for the Eagles so far this season as they lead the conference in digs per set (19.2), total blocks (74).
 
Martin Luther Knights
Record: 1-8
After dropping its first eight matches of the season, Martin Luther earned a 3-0 non-conference win against Bethany Lutheran College on Tuesday night … Sophomore Kira Grev leads the squad with 97 kills and junior Emily Neeb has a team-high 90 digs … The Knights has struggled on the serve receive with a conference-high 80 reception errors.
 
Series Histories:
-CSS leads Minnesota Morris 23-14
-UWS leads CSS 33-30
-Northwestern leads CSS 49-43-1
-CSS leads Martin Luther 48-32
 
Last Meetings: The Saints last played Minnesota Morris in the UMAC Tournament semifinals last season, in which CSS dropped a heartbreaker in five sets … The Cougars have won five straight in the series … UW-Superior swept the Saints last season in Superior and have won two of the last three meetings … Northwestern has owned the series as of late, winning the last eight meetings … CSS lost at home in five and was swept on the road in three last season … The Saints swept the Knights in both meetings last season after getting swept in both meetings in 2013.

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Looking Ahead: The Saints open conference play for real on Saturday, September 26 at the University of Minnesota Morris.