Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Head Coach Jim Boos earned his 300th career victory on Friday evening in Pensacola as the fourth-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team downed No. 18 Wheeling Jesuit University and No. 19 University of West Florida at the West Florida Opening Tournament.

Boos, who in his 12th season, is now the second Bulldog head coach to reach the 300-win plateau and is 10 wins shy of tying Pati Rolf (310-169) for most wins all-time.

Hours after battling through a five-set decision, UMD captured its second straight victory of the young season, this time in straight sets (25-23, 25-12, 25-17).

The tone of the match was established during a pivotal opening set as te Bulldogs and Argonauts traded points and found themselves in a 12-12 tie before UMD would jump out to an 8-1 run to lead 20-13. The Argos closed the gap to 24-23 before senior outside hitter Kate Lange threw down the game-clinching kill. Lange finish with 21 kills, 10 of those coming in the opening bout.

UMD stormed out to a 14-2 lead in the second set on back-to-back 7-0 runs on the sideout and serves of junior libero Julie Rainey and sophomore setter Ashley Hinsch. Coasting through an easier second set, the Bulldogs found themselves down 11-10 before romping up a 8-0 run to finish off West Florida in straight sets.

Rainey tallied 31 digs, one shy of her personal best, and Hinsch racked up a double-double (37 assists and 11 digs). Junior outside hitter Jessica Zieman registered a career high six kills on .462 hitting percentage and had a team-high three blocks.

In UMD's first game of the season, the Bulldogs won the first two sets before the Cardinals of Wheeling Jesuit battled back to force a deciding game five.
 
In a back-and-forth first set, the Bulldogs pulled ahead to a 10-3 lead on Kate Lange's serve before the Lady Cardinals pulled within four at 15-11 before UMD pulled away for a 25-16 victory.
 
The second set was again tightly contested, nearly knotted up at 10-9 UMD before sophomore defensive specialist Sheenagh Caroline took the serve, earning one ace as the Bulldogs ran away to a 19-9 lead. From there Bulldogs held on for a 25-17 set win.
 
The third and fourth sets were battles that saw Lange lead the way with 12 kills over the two frames. Still, the Cardinals took both to send the game to a deciding fifth set.
 
In the finale, UMD built a lead of 8-3 and then 10-6, but Wheeling Jesuit worked back within three before the Bulldogs pulled away and secured the match victory with a 15-8 final-set.
 
Freshman middle blocker Sydnie Mauch (left) had an impressive debut, finishing with four solo blocks (five total). Mauch and sophomore middle blocker Monica Turner each added 11 kills, but Lange stood tall with 28 in the match, one short of a career-high.
 
Ashley Hinsch had 55 set assists while junior libero Julie Rainey and junior Katie Ledwell led the way in digs with 18 digs each – a career-high for Ledwell.
 
The Bulldogs return to the court for day two of the West Florida tournament tomorrow morning with an 11:30 a.m. opening serve as UMD takes on Southern Indiana University.