2014 Colorado Premier Challenge

The University of Minnesota Duluth will travel to the annual Colorado Premier Tournament, hosted by Regis (Colo.) University and Metro State University of Denver, for the first time since 2007, when UMD was declared the champions.

The No. 3 Bulldogs (4-0) are 20-4 all-time at the tournament, winning twice (2004 and 2007), finishing second once, and third twice in six appearances. UMD has produced 14 All-Tournament Team selections at the Premier Challenge.

UMD opened its season perfect at the Keweenaw Classic, hosted by Michigan Tech University, last weekend with four wins, including a pair of dominating victories on Saturday against Lake Superior State University and the host Huskies. For their efforts, senior right-side hitter Maddy Siroin and junior Ashley Hinsch were named to the All-Tournament team.

Siroin has continued to develop her game and become a top threat for the Bulldogs offense, collecting 33 kills on 62 swings in her 10 games played last weekend. She opened the season with back-to-back 12-plus kill performances in three-set sweeps of Northern Michigan University (RV) and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

The level of competition ramps up this weekend as all four opponents are at least receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll this week, and outside of the two tournament hosts, UMD will take on the No. 2- and No. 4-ranked teams in the nation in the University of Tampa and Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

QUICK HITS
• Junior setter Ashley Hinsch spread the ball around all of last weekend, collecting 149 assists in four three-set sweeps, good for a 12.41 per-game average, third-best among Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams. The Bulldogs dropped 14.5 kills per set and hit .292 on the weekend.
• Senior libero Julie Rainey hauled in 60 defensive saves, good for a 5.00 per-game average. As with last season, senior outside hitter Katie Ledwell continued to be strong on defense, finishing with 32 digs on the weekend. Sophomore Teal Tomaszewski hauled in 20, as well.
- Junior outside hitter Mariah Scharf stepped up into starting duties on the outside and collected a team-high 39 kills in 12 sets while also knocking down eight blocks. Junior middle blocker Monica Turner led the way with 12 blocks. UMD had 33.0 as a team on the weekend.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS (Friday, Sept. 12, 12:00 p.m. MST) - Live Stats | Live Video
• Regis (RV) went 3-1 to open the season with a straight-set victory over preseason No. 6 West Texas A&M on the home court of the Buffalos. The Rangers will be opening their weekend as well when they take on the Bulldogs.
• Juniors outside hitter Caitie Breaux and setter Rebecca Sponcil were each named All-Tournament last weekend at West Texas A&M. Sponcil collected 149 set assists - matching UMD's Hinsch - but in 14 sets, a 10.64 average. Breaux led the team's attack with 50 kills, averaging 3.57 per set. Regis hit .233 as a team.
• Senior libero Maya Kirkeby led the Rangers with 72 digs with five players averaging at least two per-game, and Sponcil helping out big with 3.29 per-game. Senior middle blocker Gina Morgna has been strong on the net with 11 blocks so far this seaosn.
• UMD is 4-2 all-time against Regis with a three-set sweep over the Rangers coming the last time the Bulldogs were at the Colorado Premier Challenge on Aug. 31, 2007.

SCOUTING THE SEASIDERS (Friday, Sept. 12, 5:00 p.m. MST) - Live Stats | Live Video
• After competing for the NCAA II National Championship a season ago, No. 4 BYU-Hawaii has opened its season 2-0 with home wins over Damen College and Florida Tech. The Seasiders will take on No. 5 Central Missouri on Friday morning.
• Senior outside hitter Shih Ting Chen was named the PacWest Conference's Preseason player of the Year after finishing second in the nation (behind UMD's Kate Lange) with 5.10 kills and 5.69 points per set in 2013. She started the season with 15 and 17 kills in BYU-Hawaii's two matches.
• Sophomore Elizabeth Blake has shifted from the role of libero to the primary setter for the Seasiders, collecting 52 assists in two matches. She had a team-high nine assists against Daemen while Chen led the way with 19 defensive saves against Florida Tech.
• This will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and Seasiders.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS (Saturday, Sept. 6 - 9:30 a.m. MST) - Live Stats | Live Video
• No. 2 Tampa moved to 4-0 on the season last weekend, remaining entrenched in its preseason ranking while also collecting five first-place votes in this week's AVCA Poll. They'll take on No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State and have a rematch with No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul from last season's NCAA II Elite Eight on Friday before they face the Bulldogs on Saturday morning.
• Junior outside hitter Berkley Whaley received All-Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week honors while leading UT with 39 kills while also hauling in 27 digs and knocking down six blocks. She was also the league's Preseason Player of the Year. On the other side, junior rightside hitter Marissa Lisenbee connected on 38 kills with a team-high .378 hitting percentage. Senior setter Kahley Patrick spread the ball around with 139 assists. Libero Kasey Reynolds leads the way with 37 digs.
• Defensively, junior Jessica Wagner has been a presence at the net with 16 total blocks. Marissa Lisenbee also enjoyed an excellent start, .
• UMD is winless in three matches against Tampa, with the Spartans knocking off UMD 3-1 last time out at the NCAA Elite Eight on Nov. 17, 2006.

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS (Saturday, Sept. 6 - 7:00 p.m. EST) - Live Stats | Live Video
• Metro State (RV) opened the season 4-0 with four-set victories in each match at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego, California. They'll take on No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State and Florida Southern Friday.
• The Roadrunners were tagged with a fourth-place preseason prediction in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, with senior rightside hitter Lauren Quijano being named Preseason All-Conference. Quijano knocked down 58 kills, a 3.63 per-game average, last weekend to lead the team's offense. Sophomore Brandi Torr serves as MSU Denver's primary setter, averaging 12.0 assists per game so far in 2014.
• Defensively, the Roadrunners have senior libero Savannah Garcia leading the way, averaging 4.31 digs per set but have four players averaging at least two defensivve saves on the season. Senior middle blocker Kylee Hoagland controls the net alongside Quijano. They each have 15-plus blocks already this season.
• The Bulldogs are 7-1 all-time against Metro State, but fell the last time out in straight sets on Nov. 20, 2009 in the NCAA Tournament.

BULLDOG 'BYTE
"She is a dynamic athlete, with big jumping ability and a hard-arm swing, that [capitalized] on her playing opportunities last season to capture a starting position this year." - Head Coach Jim Boos, on junior outside hitter Mariah Scharf in this week's UMD Statesman.

The action gets underway tomorrow afternoon against the host Rangers on the campus of Regis University at 1:00 p.m. local Duluth time. Day two will be on the campus of Metro State, beginning bright and early on Saturday morning against Tampa.