DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team will take on some of the projected top teams in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) this weekend when it competes in the UMAC Preview Tournament in Morris, Minnesota.
Where:
P.E. Center – Morris, Minn.
When:
Friday
vs. Northwestern (Minn.) – 5 p.m.
vs. Martin Luther – 7 p.m.
Saturday
at Minnesota Morris – 11 a.m.
vs. UW-Superior – 1 p.m.
Live Video vs. Minnesota Morris: http://ummcougars.org/showcase?Live=29
Social Media:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/SaintsVball
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/csssaintsvball
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/css.saints
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 1-7, 0-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints went winless at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Classic last weekend … The Saints dropped matches to Concordia University (Wis.) and St. Norbert College (Wis.) on Friday night and then lost two more to host UW-Oshkosh and No. 22-ranked Millikin University (Ill.) on Saturday …
Amanda Belden (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) led the Saints in kills in three of the four matches.
It's not How you Start, but How you Finish: After dropping a two set lead to St. Norbert on Friday night, the Saints have now lost 10 straight matches that have gone five sets … Three of the last five, five-set losses have come when the Saints won the first two sets … CSS has now lost a match in which it led by two sets in each of the past three seasons … Prior to that, the last time it happened was the 2006 season … The last five-set victory for the Saints was on October 30, 2013 against UW-Superior.
Where They Rank: The Saints are third among UMAC teams in digs per set (16.8) and in blocks per set (1.6) …
Christaia Houser (Esko, Minn./Homeschool) ranks second in the conference with 0.89 blocks per set …
Alex Barsody (Onamia, Minn./Onamia HS) is also second in the league with 5.9 digs per set.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. Northwestern.......................................... 64 points (8 First Place Votes)
2. UW-Superior........................................... 53 points
3. St. Scholastica...................................... 50 points (1 First Place Vote)
4. Martin Luther........................................... 42 points
5. Minnesota Morris................................... 41 points
6. North Central.......................................... 25 points
7. Bethany Lutheran.................................. 23 points
8. Northland................................................. 15 points
9. Crown....................................................... 11 points
Upcoming Opponents
#25 Northwestern Eagles
Record: 7-2
The Eagles are coming off a "Sweet 16" appearance in last year's NCAA Division III Tournament … The Eagles have made six straight trips to the NCAA Tournament and are currently ranked No. 25 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III poll … Northwestern is off to a 7-2 start this season after defeating the University of Wisconsin-Stout in four sets on Wednesday … The two defeats this season have come against UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse … The Eagles currently lead all UMAC teams in hitting percentage (.260), lowest opponent hitting pct. (.150), kills per set (13.9) and blocks (2.2) … Last year's UMAC Player of the Year, Lindsey Peterson is second in the league with 3.94 kills per set … Leesa Hulstrand leads the UMAC with a .342 attack percentage and Shanay Ginder is top on the league in total blocks (37).
Martin Luther Knights
Record: 3-7
The Knights are coming off a loss to Buena Vista University (Iowa) on Wednesday night in their home opener … Martin Luther was in Oshkosh with the Saints last weekend and went 1-3 defeating the Milwaukee School of Engineering … The Knights return 10 of 13 players from last year's roster, including their entire rotation for much of the season … The Knights rank third in the conference in team hitting percentage (.136) and are second in blocks (62) … Jade St. Germaine leads the conference with 106 kills so far this season and was named to the all-tournament team in Oshkosh last weekend … Kira Grev is right behind her with 95 kills this season … Grev was a First Team All-UMAC choice last season.
Minnesota Morris Cougars
Record: 2-7
The Cougars will enter the weekend on a five-match losing skid … The two victories this season for the Cougars have come on the west coast when they defeated Occidental College (Calif.) and Cabrini University (Pa.) in Claremont, California … Morris is guided by first year head coach Lauren Torvi … Morris is second in the conference in kills per set (11.8) and lead the UMAC teams with 20.15 digs per set … Marissa Ekness leads all conference players with 4.6 kills per set, while Layne Herrmann leads the conference with 9.3 assists per set … Katie Reitsma leads the league with 6.8 digs per set … Ekness and Reitsma were First Team All-UMAC selections last season.
UW-Superior Yellowjackets
Record: 3-9
The Yellowjackets are coming off a four-set victory over Finlandia University (Mich.) on Tuesday night … Two of UWS' three wins this season have against the Lions with other coming against Knox College (Ill.) … Superior ranks second in the conference in team hitting percentage (.149) and are tied for the conference lead with 1.63 service aces per set … UWS has a pair of players with over 100 kills already this season in Brylee Colligan (116) and Alexis Landherr (111) … Emily VerWay leads the UMAC with 344 assists on the year. VerWay was named the conference's Rookie of the Year last season.
Series Histories:
-Northwestern leads CSS 52-43-1
-CSS leads Martin Luther 51-32
-CSS leads Minnesota Morris 24-15
-UWS leads CSS 34-31
Last Meetings: The Saints have dropped 11 straight to Northwestern, including last year's UMAC Tournament semifinal contest, in which they led by two sets, before falling to the Eagles … CSS defeated Martin Luther in four sets in last year's UMAC Tournament first round match … The Saints have won five straight against the Knights … The Saints split with Minnesota Morris last season, defeating the Cougars in the preview tournament, but falling in the regular season conference match … Morris has won six of the last seven meetings against St. Scholastica … UW-Superior rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat CSS in five sets last year in Superior … Earlier in the year, the Saints defeated the Yellowjackets at the UMAC Preview Tournament.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will have their home and conference opener on Saturday, September 24 when they host the University of Minnesota Morris at the Reif Gymnasium at 3 p.m.
