The University of Minnesota Duluth is all but locked-in for an NCAA Tournament berth, but the Bulldogs will be focused on the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament this week. Third-seeded UMD kicks off its tournament play by hosting the sixth seed, Wayne State (Neb.) College, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
This marks the second straight season the Bulldogs have matched up with the Wildcats in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament, and UMD will look to repeat last year's performance of a victory. The Bulldogs are riding a three match winning streak into the postseason, while Wayne State has won its previous seven games. UMD ranked second in last week's NCAA Central Regional Rankings, but the Wildcats found themselves on the bubble of a tournament bid with the seventh ranking.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS | 23-6 (14-6 NSIC)
Wayne State and UMD matched up on Oct. 21 in Wayne, Neb., with UMD claiming a 3-1 match victory ... one Wildcat player was named to the All-NSIC First Team - senior middle blocker Alyssa Frauendorfer, while two players earned spots on the All-NSIC Second Team - junior middle blocker Erin Gross and senior outside hitter Michaela Mestl ... Wayne State ranks second in the NSIC in service aces and fourth in total blocks ... head coach Scott Kneifl is in his 12th season with WSC, holding a 279-95 overall record ... the Bulldogs hold the all-time series edge with a 26-7 record.
AROUND THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
Sharing the same side of the bracket with UMD is second-seeded Southwest Minnesota State University, who will host the seventh-seeded University of Sioux Falls. Concordia University-St. Paul earned the top seed and will take on Minnesota State University-Mankato in its opening round matchup. The fourth quarterfinal matchup features the fourth and fifth seeds, as Augustana (S.D.) University faces off against Winona State University. The four first-round matchups are hosted by the top four seeds, with the semifinals and finals being played at the site of the top remaining seed.
OUTSIDE HITS
- Senior middle blocker
Sydnie Mauch sits on the cusp of program history. The four-year Bulldogs has racked up 383 blocks in her career, just three shy of
Monica Turner's all-time record.
- Junior middle blocker
Allison Olley and sophomore right side hitter
Sarah Kelly will also look to etch their names into the record book. Olley (.377) and Kelly (.375) narrowly trail the single season record for hitting percentage, also set by
Monica Turner at .383.
- Seven Bulldogs were named to
All-NSIC First and Second Teams last week and freshman setter
Emily Torve was named the NSIC's Freshman of the Year.
- UMD holds an 8-2 record against ranked teams this season
- The Bulldogs have won two NSIC Tournament Championships in program history, with the last coming in 2014. Concordia-St. Paul's four championships leads all NSIC teams.
Opening serve against Wayne State is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Romano Gymnasium on Wednesday. The first 500 students will receive free admission to the match.
