The University of Minnesota Duluth pulled off a pair of victories to start its 2016 campaign. The tenth-ranked Bulldogs knocked off Cal State University-San Bernardino in three straight sets in the matinee before defeating Grand Valley State in the nightcap. The Bulldogs are one of eight teams participating in the Ferris State Invitational, located in Big Rapids, Mich.
 
UMD wasted little time in its opening victory over twentieth-ranked CSU-San Bernardino, winning eight of the first nine points in the first set. Sophomore outside hitter Makenzie Morgen, appearing in her first match as a Bulldog after transferring from the University of Maryland-B.C., racked up four kills in the initial set on her way to a team-leading 12 kills for the match. Morgen added 14 digs in addition to her stellar offensive performance. Freshman setter Emily Torve made quite an impact on the victory, recording 36 assists in her first collegiate match. Junior middle blocker Allison Olley also had a standout performance, tallying 10 kills on 15 attempts for a team leading .600 attack percentage.

The Bulldogs went on to hold the lead for the entire second set, eventually grabbing a 25-17 decision. After falling behind 14-9 in the final set, UMD worked their way back by recording four of the next five points to cut the deficit to 15-13. The teams continued to battle until the Bulldogs, facing a 21-16 hole, rallied off six of the next eight points to take the decisive third set. UMD hit an efficient .283 in the match, compared to the .154 attack percentage of CSU-San Bernardino.

UMD 3, Grand Valley State 1
No. 10 UMD returned the court Friday evening prepared for another victory. The Bulldogs hit .310 and .273 in the first two sets, showing little trouble before taking each set by scores of 25-17 and 25-14, respectively. Sophomore right side hitter Sarah Kelly had four of her nine total kills in the opening set, thanks large in part to assists from Torve, who recorded 42 assists in the match. 

UMD had a more difficult run at the third set despite jumping out to an early 15-10 lead. The Lakers rallied back by embarking on a 10-5 run, tying the score at 20-20. The teams stayed even until Grand Valley State finally pulled away to take the extended third set by a score of 28-26. The Bulldogs were not flustered by dropping their first set of the 2016 season, as they dominated the final set by jumping out to a quick 19-4 lead before finishing off the Lakers by a score of 25-10. Sophomore libero Erin Schindler finished with a team-high 26 digs in the victory.

The Bulldogs return to action in Big Rapids tomorrow morning with a match against the host No. 8 Ferris State at 11 a.m. before taking on Lake Superior State at 1:30 p.m.