The third-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth find itself facing off with another top team as it plays host to No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday afternoon but can not overlook its Friday opponents from the University of Sioux Falls this weekend.
The Bulldogs (22-2, 12-2 NSIC) enter the weekend on a three-match winning streak after dropping just its second match of the season last time out at Romano Gym. UMD will look to bounce back in its return to its home court as it looks to stay in the hunt for a top seed in the NSIC tournament. UMD sits in a second place tie with Southwest Minnesota, two games back of No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul, and have both of those teams on the schedule with just six matches remaining.
The Opponents
Sioux Falls (14-9, 6-8 NSIC) enters the weekend as winners of three of four in NSIC play with hopes of sneaking into the playoff field, currently tied for ninth in the league. Head coach Joel McCartney's Cougars are no stranger to the upset, knocking off then-No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State on the road last week. USF has posted the fifth-best team attack rate in the NSIC with .238 hitting percentage this season. Juniors Becky Wessel and Kate Hart lead the NSIC with 71 service aces between the pair. Junior outside hitter Emily Johnson leads the Cougars with 290 kills, good for a 3.22 per-set average. Senior Andrea Odbert serves as the team's primary libero, collecting 347 digs in 2013. Senior setter Alexa Reed is ninth in the NSIC with 9.34 assists per set this season.
The Cougars and Bulldogs have faced off just once, a three-set sweep by UMD last season on Sept. 21, 2012.
As stated, Southwest Minnesota State (17-5, 12-2 NSIC) enters the weekend ranked eighth in the nation and tied with UMD for second in the conference. Head coach Terry Culhane and the Mustangs also faced a surprise at home when knocked off by Sioux Falls last week and are just 2-2 in their last four. Sophomore outside hitter Claire Sames ranks tenth in the NSIC in hitting percentage at .333 and 231, but sophomore right-side hitter Abby Thissen is sevenh in the league with a 3.69 per-game average. Sophomore setter Emilee Gutzmer's 11.89 assists per set ranks fourth in the NSIC. Senior Rachel Westby serves as the team's primary libero with 4.46 per-set and 362 on the year. The defensive-minded SMSU has held opponents to a .166 hitting percentage in 2013.
UMD is 58-14 in the all-time series against SMSU but fell to the Mustangs in their last meeting, an NSIC postseason tournament bout on Nov. 17, 2012
The Bulldogs
Senior outside hitter
Kate Lange, a native of Hibbing, Minnesota, created a legacy as one of the top players in the history of the Bulldog program long before she surpassed the all-time UMD kills record last week, but that certainly cemented it. Last Friday night, Lange passed Vicky Braegelman's six-year-old mark of 1,843, earning the honor with the first kill of the fifth set as the Bulldogs defeated No. 16 Wayne State. She had 29 kills in the match, only her third-best total of the season, to lead UMD to a big NSIC victory. She finished the week with 62 kills, 38 digs, 3 solo blocks, and a .297 kill percentage, and now she sits at 1,864 for her career.
A pair of Bulldogs received NSIC Player of the Week honors this week. On the defensive side, junior libero
Julie Rainey collected 69 digs in three matches for UMD, an average of 8.63 per set. Her defensive efforts were key as the Bulldogs battled against No. 17 Wayne State, evident by her 6.0 per-game average. She had just one reception error in 63 chances. Sophomore setter
Ashley Hinsch also received an NSIC POW nod after posting a career night against Wayne State, collecting 70 assists in the five-set affair. On the week, she averaged 18.63 assists per set. She also collected six kills, paired up on three blocks, dropped in two services aces, and collected 17 digs.
Friday's match with Sioux Falls is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. with the Bulldogs turning around for an afternoon tilt with Southwest Minnesota State. Opening serve of that bout will be at 4:00 p.m.
