Full NSIC Release
Full AVCA Poll
UMD's No. 1 Rankings
University of Minnesota Duluth sophomore
Ashley Hinsch received All-NSIC Setter of the Week honors Monday as the top-ranked team in the nation prepares for a home match against St. Cloud State University on Tuesday evening.
Hinsch amassed 113 assists (good for a 12.56 per set average) in a trio of three-set sweeps last week for the Bulldogs, who now sit at 11-0 (2-0 NSIC) on the season. She had 41 in a win over Michigan Tech and followed that up with 35 and 37 in conference wins over Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. Hinsch helped the Bulldogs to a league high .372 hitting percentage last week. She also added nine digs, fours aces and three blocks last week.
UMD remained in the number one spot in the AVCA Division II Top 25 poll for the second straight week, receiving 44 first-place votes out of 48, edging out conference rival University of Concordia, St. Paul by just 50 points. The Bulldogs and Golden Bears will face off in conference play this Friday in St. Paul.
Other NSIC teams in the top 25 include No. 8 Wayne State (Neb.) and No. 9 Southwest Minn. State.
The Opponent
The St. Cloud State Huskies have rebounded from a 2012 season that saw them go 10-28 overall with an 8-2 start to 2013, including a four-match winning streak entering play this week. Head coach Michelle Blaeser has paced the sidelines for St. Cloud since the 2010 season. St. Cloud has held opponents to a .198 attack percentage in 2013 and have been strong starters, winning nine of ten opening sets in 2013. A trio of Huskies has amassed over 100 kills each this season, including junior Dani Domeier and sophomore Kellan Flynn, and led by senior outside hitter Ellie Dietzen. Junior Erin Ohlemann has 250 assists as the team's primary setter while Briane Stamer has collected 171 digs as the team's top defensive player. Dietzen and Flynn each have over 25 blocks through ten matches.
The Bulldogs are 63-33 all-time against the Huskies. Their last meeting was a 3-1 UMD victory on Oct. 16, 2012 as the Bulldogs swept the season series.
The Storylines
This match has the potential to mark an important date for head coach
Jim Boos. Sitting at 309 career victories, he is just one win away from tying Pati Rolf for most all-time at UMD. At 309-57, Boos has reached the mark in 113 fewer matches than Rolf, winning at an .844 clip for his career. Rolf went 310-169 while coaching for UMD from 1988 until 2001 when she was succeeded by Boos before the 2002 season.
Another Bulldog career milestone is in the offing as senior outside hitter
Kate Lange sits at 1,631 kills for her career, just ten away from breaking the top five for a career at UMD. She smacked 39 kills last week, including an 18-kill performance against Bemidji State last time out. In addition to her own 26 kills last week, sophomore middle blocker
Monica Turner led the Bulldogs defensively with four solo blocks and seven block assists, accounting for nearly half of UMD's total blocks for the week. Junior libero
Julie Rainey had 48 defensive digs, an average of 16 per match. Now sitting at 1,327 for her career, Rainey also ranks sixth all-time for the Bulldogs, but sits 81 saves away from entering the top five.
As a team, UMD has held opponents to a conference-low .127 attack percentage. Offensively, the Bulldogs have attacked at a .320 clip, good for second in the NSIC. With a match against No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul looming, it will be on the Bulldogs to not allow themselves the distraction: the Tuesday match with St. Cloud State should be their toughest in-conference test yet this season. It is set for a 7:00 p.m. opening serve.
