After three quarters of the season, the University of Minnesota Duluth has become accustomed to one result - winning. The Bulldogs have been triumphant in all 21 games this season, including 13 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games. UMD faced a tough road test against ninth-ranked Wayne State College on Friday night, but took care of business by downing the Wildcats 3-1. Senior middle blocker Sydnie Mauch joined an exclusive club as she picked up her 1,000^th career kill in the opening set. Mauch is putting out another impressive season in 2016, knocking down 167 kills while playing a dominant force at the net with 66 blocks.

The Bulldogs had impressive performances from much of their team, highlighted by a dominating defensive performance by sophomore libero Erin Schindler. Schindler racked up a career-best 35 digs in the victory, however she wasn't the only defensive standout. Senior outside hitter Taylor Wissbroecker and freshman setter Emily Torve also reached career-bests by picking up 20 and 18 digs, respectively. Wissbroecker added 10 kills to record her third double-double of the season. In addition to surpassing her best dig total, Torve also tied her best mark by tallying 58 assists in the four set win. Leading the way offensively for UMD was sophomore outside hitter Makenzie Morgen with 15, followed closely by Mauch (14) and sophomore right side hitter Sarah Kelly (13). As a team, the Bulldogs outhit Wayne State .240 to .180, who was led by junior right side hitter Erin Gross (14 kills).

After sweeping its previous five opponents, UMD was forced to work an extra set to grab the victory on Friday. The opening set was a hard fought, back and forth battle that concluded with a 25-21 Bulldog win. The two teams found themselves deadlocked on eleven different occasions, including a late 19-19 tie. UMD pulled away at the end, grabbing six of the next eight points to secure the first set victory. Morgen picked up six kills and four digs while the Bulldogs hit .250 as a team.

UMD followed up by putting together its most impressive set of the night, hitting .366 while holding the Wildcats to just .100. The Bulldogs held the lead from start to finish, eventually winning 25-17 and taking a 2-0 advantage. Mauch led the we by knocking down seven kills on nine attempts and Torve flashed her defensive skill by digging out eight Wayne State attacks.

Looking to grab a sixth straight sweep, UMD returned to the court following a brief intermission. The Wildcats had other ideas, as they strung together a solid offensive performance by hitting .353 and taking the third set 25-17, inching closer to the top-ranked Bulldogs. UMD was unable to record a block and had a match-low 19 digs.

The Bulldogs and Wildcats moved on to a thrilling fourth set, as neither team was able to grab a significant lead. After UMD extended its lead to 21-18, Wayne State battled back to force a 21-21 tie. The teams bounced back and forth, until the Bulldogs concluded the match with a 26-24 victory on a kill by freshman middle blocker Abby Thor. Thor had a breakout out performance for UMD after appearing in just five sets prior to Friday night, as she finished the match with nine kills on 12 attacks, good for a .667 attack percentage.

The Bulldogs will face another difficult road test tomorrow afternoon as they take on No. 8 Augustana (S.D.) University at 3 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D.

ICYMI: Minnesota Duluth's Sydnie Mauch has her Bulldogs Rising (Per HERO Sports)