Coming off a three-game sweep in the first stop of its five-match road tour, the University of Minnesota Duluth will take the farthest trip of its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season this weekend and face a pair of teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Coaches poll.

No. 2 UMD (11-1, 4-0 NSIC) has yet to drop a set in its 11 victories but will have its work cut out for it when the Bulldogs travel to No. 21 Augustana (S.D.) College in Sioux Falls, and No. 17 Wayne State (Neb.) College this Friday and Saturday evening.

QUICK HITS
• Due to a statistical program error, it was reported earlier this week that senior libero Julie Rainey was just short of 2,000 digs for her career. Rainey actually surpassed that mark this week and currently sits at 2,044 for her career. Rainey set the program record for defensive saves last season and sits 340 away from cracking the NCAA II career top 25, a mark she could hit if she continues at her career pace.
• Junior setter Ashley Hinsch ranks first in the nation at 13.24 assists per set. Junior middle blocker Monica Turner is second in the nation in hitting percentage at .482. The trio swept the NSIC Player of the Week honors doled out this week.

"It's another long road trip where we get on the bus again first thing [Thursday morning]," head coach Jim Boos said about the Bulldogs continuing to be "road warriors" this season. "The challenge is just rallying around each other and making sure we provide the energy we need when we get on the court. Both of those places have good home-court environments, good student bodies that get on you when things aren't going well. We need to be able to form that cocoon around our team and take care of business."

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS (Friday, Sept. 26, 7:00 p.m.) - Live Stats | Live Video
• No. 21 Augustana (10-2, 3-1 NSIC) knocked off No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State in five sets on Tuesday night, taking the final three sets to down the Mustangs. Senior outside hitter Courtney Ysker led the way with her seventh double-double of the season with 18 kills and 14 digs. Ysker ranks seventh in the NSIC with 3.83 kills per set.
• Freshman middle blocker Ashley Wilson is fourth in the league in hitting percentage at .386 this season and had 13 kills in another stand-out performance against SMSU. Augie rolls out a pair of setters, junior Marissa Johsnon and sophomore Anna Sykora. The team also has a young libero in freshman Tahlyr Banks, who is eighth in the NSIC with 4.46 digs per set.
• UMD holds a 29-9 overall record against Augustana, knocking off the Vikings twice last season including a three-set sweep on Oct. 26 last seson in Sioux Falls.

Coach Boos says... "Augustana presents a challenge in that they are very athletic. They're quick, they're long, they're balanced. With the exception of their one outside, Ysker, they really spread the ball out a ton. It's hard to get a bead on what they're going to do."

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS (Saturday, Sept. 27, 4:00 p.m.) - Live Stats | Live Video
• No. 17 Wayne State (11-1, 4-0 NSIC) will be opening its home court for the first time this season when UMD comes to town. The Wildcats are one of three undefeated teams in the NSIC, having handed Augustana its lone conference loss in both team's league lid-lifter.
• The reigning NSIC Freshman of the Year, sophomore middle hitter Alyssa Frauendorfer leads the Wildcats in hitting at .325 on the year and has collected 138 kills on the young season. Junior outside hitters Katie Hughes and Elizabeth Gebhart also average over three kills per set as part of Wayne State's three-pronged attack.
• Junior setter Leisa McClintock is fifth in the NSIC with 10.95 assists per game, while junior libero Courtney VanGroningen is seventh with 4.50 digs per game.
• UMD is 20-5 all-time against Wayne State including a pair of wins last season. The Bulldogs knocked off the Wildcats in straight sets in the NSIC Tournament on Nov. 23, 2013.

Coach Boos says... "Wayne provides a different challenge in that they are so error-free. They don't give you many points. They make you earn everything you do. If you have one of those nights where you're prone to error a lot, they're just going to jump all over you. ... We are going to need our offense to be what it's capable of being, but also defend, and understand that these two teams are extremely talented and play well at home. It's going to be a big challenge."

BULLDOG 'BYTE
"It just shows you the type of player that she is. To her, numbers aren't going to matter. It's about what's happening on the court and the team, and that's what makes her so special. We're able to really try to design our defense around the ability to make sure she has the opportunity to play the ball a lot. She takes advantage of each of those opportunites and puts up some big numbers when they present themselves. It's one of those things that kind of goes unnoticed if you're not paying attention, but you realize how big of an impact she has in her serve receiving, her serving, and just her general leadership ability. So, you can't say enough about the job she does for this program." - head coach Jim Boos on his senior libero reaching a career milestone

Opening serve for the weekend is set for 7:00 p.m. in Sioux Falls as UMD takes the court against Augustana.