AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Week #8 Poll (Oct. 27, 2014)
2014 NSIC Volleyball Weekly Release No. 9 (Oct. 27, 2014)

The University of Minnesota Duluth, holding tight at the No. 2 spot in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, enters its final homestand of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season this week with three matches starting with a visit from rival St. Cloud State University on Tuesday afternoon. Senior libero Julie Rainey was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week four the fourth time this season.

The no. 2 Bulldogs (22-1, 15-0 NSIC) will host a ranked foe this Friday when no. 11 Wayne State (Neb.) College makes its way to Duluth. Maintaining its three first place votes and 1,155 points overall from a week ago, UMD will play all three NSIC teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 during the final two weeks of the regular season with matches next week against no. 3 Concordia University, St. Paul and no. 8 Southwest Minnesota State University. Augustana (S.D.) College, the Bulldogs' Saturday opponent was among the teams receiving votes in this week's poll, as was Northern State University. Also this week, the first official NCAA II Central Region rankings will arrive, an early determiner of the teams in the running for selection to the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Seven Central Region teams currently rank in the Top 25 by the AVCA.

Rainey again led the NSIC in digs last week as she recorded 45 digs for a 6.43 dig per set average as the Bulldogs went 2-0. She hauled in a season-high 27 digs in UMD's four-set victory over MSU Moorhead on Saturday afternoon to go with 18 digs in a sweep at Northern State on Friday night. Rainey did not record a reception error on the weekend while adding four assists.

QUICK HITS
• Five Bulldogs had at least 10 kills in Saturday's 3-1 win over Minnesota State University-Moorhead. That marked the first time since the 2007 season that UMD had five players hit double-digits. The Bulldogs had 70 kills on Sept. 8, 2007 in a 3-1 win over West Texas A&M. That was the last season that teams played to 30 points in each set.
• Senior right-side hitter Maddy Siroin posted a pair of double-doubles, averaging 3.43 kills and 3.29 digs per set in a pair of Bulldog victories. She hit .259 with 24 kills, four service aces, one block, four assists, and 23 digs on the weekend.
• Junior setter Ashley Hinsch averaged 12.57 assists per set for a Bulldog offense that hit .243 in a pair of victories, including a 50-assist, four-kill, two-black match in UMD's four-set victory over MSU-Moorhead on Saturday afternoon. She totaled 88 assists, two service aces, 16 digs, three blocks, and four kills on the weekend.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES (Tuesday, Oct. 28, 7:00 p.m.) - Live Stats | Live Video
• St. Cloud State (7-16, 1-14 NSIC) has lost 13 in a row in conference play after knocking off Sioux Falls on Sept. 19. The Bulldogs opened the 2014 NSIC season at SCSU with a three-set sweep (25-17, 25-23, 25-23) on Sept. 16. Junior middle blocker Monica Turner had 14 kills without a single error for a .737 hitting percentage.
• Husky senior outside hitter Kaitlin Doughty had a team-high 10 kills and hit .308 against the Bulldogs. Senior setter Erin Ohlemann spread the ball around with five attackers taking at least 15 swings, but St. Cloud hit just .197 as a team in the match. Ohlemann is currently eighth in the NSIC, averaging 8.88 assists per set this season.
• SCSU out-blocked the Bulldogs at home, 7-6 with sophomore middle hitter Macy Weller taking part in five for the Huskies. Weller is currently second on the Huskies with 0.59 blocks per set. Junior libero Briane Stamer is second in the NSIC with 4.82 digs per set.

The Bulldogs and Huskies will take the court at Romano Gym Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.