MORRIS, Minn. – The Yellowjacket volleyball team returned to James Gremmels Court in Morris, Minn. on Wednesday, just four days removed from their regular season finale with Minnesota Morris. Both teams would meet each other in the semifinals with the stakes doubled, with a spot in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Championship on the line.
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After a 3-1 loss to the Cougars, the 'Jackets responded in a big way in the conference tournament opener, claiming a 3-0 sweep to advance to Saturday's UMAC title match.
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Match Notes
- The opening set featured the 'Jackets take an early lead of 5-1, but UMM kept things close before taking a three-point lead at 14-11.
- Melissa Hoff (Holmen, Wis./Holmen) and Makenna Hohbein (Holdingford, Minn./Holdingford) helped pace the offense, while a pair of combination of attack errors and service aces helped steer the 'Jackets back on track. The Cougars responded when down at set point, but a kill from Hohbein followed by a block from Hoff gave UWS a 26-24 victory.
- Both teams kept it rather even in the second set. Hohbein, beside Kyndra Peterson (Mounds View, Minn./Irondale) and Sydney Smith (Milltown, Wis./Unity), each registered kills but both squads responded to one another, not allowing any more than three points. At 20-20, Superior blocked three attacks from the Cougars and Peterson slammed it home for a 25-21 win in the second.
- Down 6-7, the 'Jackets saw an assisted block from Hoff and Kate Jamtgaard (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) to regain the lead. From there, despite a five-point rally late in the set, Superior would maintain the lead with kills from Hohbein, Aspen Gentele (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) and Alayna Schultz (Atwater, Minn./Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) to ultimately sweep the Cougars, ending their season with a 25-22 win in the third.
- Hohbein spearheaded the offensive with 17 kills while also leading in digs alongside Savanna Hering (Superior, Wis./Superior) with 26.
- Carlie Liohman had 19 assists on the night while Schultz added eight and Hering six.
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Superior returns to the UMAC Championship match for the fifth season in a row. They will face RV Northwestern Saturday with a first serve of 5 p.m.
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