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THE OPENING SERVE: The University of Minnesota Duluth enters the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament as the fourth seed for its quarterfinal match versus fifth seeded Winona State University. The two-time tournament champions will meet the Warriors this Wednesday evening at Romano Gymnasium starting at 6:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE: The Warriors finished the regular season 21-7 and 15-5 in the NSIC. They completed a perfect 10-0 road record against NSIC teams this season. WSU has entered the NSIC Tournament for a fourth consecutive year. In its five appearances, the Warriors are 3-8 and had its best finish in 2015 as runner-ups. 
WSU is coached by Joe Getzin, who is in his third season, and is the second hottest team coming into the tournament, riding a season-best seven-game winning streak including downing four top-25 clubs.
The Warriors have hit over .400 for the three straight matches. They finished the regular season ranked fifth in NSIC in hitting percentage (.267). WSU ranks third in NSIC in digs/set (17.39).
Senior Danielle Rampart is averaging 3.73 kills per set and has 23 double-digit kill matches this season. Senior McKenna Larsen averaged 10.5 assists per set this season. She recorded her third triple-double at MSU-Moorhead (10 kills/33 assists/14 digs) and was named the NSIC and AVCA Player of the Week on Monday and Tuesday. Junior Maria Wrage hit .483 over the weekend and ranks seventh in NSIC this season (.358) which is currently a Winona single-season record. Freshman Becca Pagel paces the team with 5.12 digs per set. 

THE SERIES: UMD leads the series over Winona State 73-2 in 75 all-time matchups.  The Bulldogs squeaked out a five-set victory earlier this season at Winona State. The Bulldogs trailed 10-6 in the final set before escaping McCown Gymnasium with a 15-13 set and match win. The Warriors lost to UMD in its only encounter in the NSIC Tournament, having been swept in the initial tournament in 2012.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and their opponents this weekend stack up in the NSIC standings, in the AVCA poll and the NCAA Central Region Rankings.
TEAM        NSIC        AVCA        REGION
UMD            4th            6th               5th
WSU            5th           14th              7th

THE BROADCAST: The matches this weekend will be carried live through a video stream, in addition to live stats capabilities, and is available for free at:
portal.stretchinternet.com/umd

LAST SIDE OUT: The Bulldogs had to claw its way to a split in the final weekend of the regular season. UMD dropped a four-set decision to No. 18 Augustana on Friday before slipping past No. 2 Wayne State in five sets on Saturday.
Sarah Kelly led the team with 15 kills vs. the Vikings while Makenzie Morgen paced the club with 14 digs. Morgen one-upped everyone the following night establishing career highs in both kills (27) and digs (24). She was the first Bulldogs to record a 20-20 performance since 2013 when Kate Lange hammered 29 ills and scooped 21 balls against Wayne State. Emily Torve also reached a collegiate high 65 assists during the match.

FARING AGAINST THE BEST: Against ranked opponents, UMD is 6-3. The Bulldogs have knocked off Concordia-St Paul, Augustana, Wayne State (twice) and Winona State and SMSU.

ALL BUT GAME OVER: UMD is 18-0 this season when it leads 2-0 going into the intermission. Since the change to 25-point sets in 2008, the Bulldogs are 216-1. 

WEEKLY HONORS: Four Bulldogs (Allison Olley, Emily Torve, Sarah Kelly and Abby Thor) have been recognized by the NSIC, garnering accolades from each available award. Kelly and Torve each collected their second honors on Nov. 6.
Player of the Week Honors
Oct. 9- Allison Olley Offense PoW
Oct. 9- Emily Torve Setter PoW
Oct. 16- Sarah Kelly Offensive PoW
Oct. 23- Abby Thor Defensive PoW
Nov. 6- Sarah Kelly (2) Offense PoW
Nov. 6- Emily Torve (2) Setter PoW

BEST OF THE CONFERENCE: Five Bulldogs were recognized by the NSIC for all-conference accolades. Junior right side Sarah Kelly and senior middle blocker Allison Olley each received first team honors. Freshman outside hitter Kate Berg, junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen and sophomore setter Emily Torve each obtained NSIC second team distinction.

ATOP THE NCAA MOUNTAIN: UMD is known year in and year out to boast some of the nation's best numbers and this year is no different as it ranks among the NCAA's best in terms of individual and team rankings.
Sophomore setter Emily Torve ranks fourth in the nation with 12.24 assists/set. She also holds the third best mark for assists in a three-set match (50) in all of Division II.
With senior setter Sarah Heesacker, UMD is tops in the nation in assists/set (14.56). Those assists numbers also have the Bulldogs sitting atop of the leader board for kills/set at an astounding 15.46 (262 points better than Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State).
Senior middle blocker Allison Olley and junior Sarah Kelly have each established themselves as one of the most efficient hitters in the country. Kelly (.432) and Olley (.401) sit first and ninth, respectively, in attack percentage. Either Olley or Kelly have held the number one spot for well over two months. Those outstanding clips have catapulted UMD to the best hitting average in the land at .298, three points ahead of next best Northern State (.295).

SET IT AND FORGET IT: Sophomore setter Emily Torve moved up to ninth all-time among set assists with 2,463 at UMD. Torve passed Shelia Brown's (1985-86) mark of 2,019 with her 60-assist effort versus Winona State. Tammy Wermager is eighth on the UMD charts with 3,513. Torve hit 1,000 assists for a second consecutive season vs. SMSU (11/3) and is the current leader among active players in assists per set at 12.07 edging Marina Hansen (Colo. School of Mines, 12.06). Torve also turned in a new personal match-high with 65 assists last time out. Ashley Hinsch, who preceded Torve, is the last UMD player to serve up that many assists, passing out 68 assists vs. Sioux Falls on Nov. 11, 2014. 

RIGHT SIDE AND CONQUER: Junior right side hitter Sarah Kelly is second among active players in DII in career hitting percentage. Her .387 clip trails only Brittany Deveaux of Bluefield State College by 17 points. Kelly hit .360 in back-to-back seasons and is more efficient this year as she has clubbed an astounding .432 while she has increased her kills per set by 78 points up to 3.77. Kelly conquered the NCAA II landscape attaining  the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 17.

ONE-THOUSAND KILL CLUB WATCH: In addition, junior right side hitter Sarah Kelly is on the verge of becoming the next Bulldog attacker to eclipse the 1,000-kill milestone. The Chaska H.S. product is 66 kills away from becoming the 20th Bulldog to join the club. Sydnie Mauch was the 19th player in team history to join the prestigious club on Oct. 21, 2016 against Wayne State.

HEAD OF THE ROOKIE CLASS: Outside hitter Kate Berg has shown the tools to become a perennial threat the next three years with her play as a freshman. As the second option in the UMD attack, the native of Wayzata, Minn., leads all NSIC newcomers in a bevy of categories: kills per set (3.32), points per set (3.74), attacks per set (8.85), kills (319). Among all freshmen, she ranks 11th in the country in terms of total kills and points per set and ninth kills per set.

MASTER OF ALL TRADES: Junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen has been the most versatile player for UMD this season. Morgen is currently on pace at become the first Bulldog to average at least 3.00 kills per set and 3.00 digs per set since Kate Lange who accomplished that feat in 2011. She also has 37 aces from the service line this year. That is the most by a Bulldog since Kate Lange had 48 aces in 2011. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: Junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen has racked up nine double-doubles. 
Sept. 1- Nova Southeastern 11k-12d
Sept. 8- Lake Superior State 15k-13d
Sept. 9- Wisconsin-Parkside 12k-11d
Sept. 14- Minnesota Crookston 14k-10d
Sept. 19- St. Cloud State 12k-10d
Sept. 22- Wayne State 13k-18d
Sept. 23- Augustana 14k-11d
Oct. 7- Concordia-St. Paul 19k-16d
Oct. 27- MSU-Moorhead 15k-16d
Nov. 11- Wayne State 27k-24d

SURVEY SAYS : The University of Minnesota Duluth was ranked fifth in the second release of the NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings, which is released every Wednesday. The winners of the NSIC Postseason Tournament and the champions of the MIAA and the GAC get automatic bids to the tournament, leaving five at-large bids chosen by the teams ranked highest following postseason tournament play. The NCAA Volleyball selection show will be streamed online on Monday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

CENTRAL REGION RANKINGS (Nov. 8)         IN-REGION         OVERALL
1. Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC)                                   17-2                    24-2
2. Southwest Minn. State (NSIC)                             17-3                    23-3
3. Nebraska Kearney (MIAA)                                    27-1                    27-2
4. Northern State (NSIC)                                           21-4                    22-4
5. Minnesota Duluth (NSIC)                                    19-3                    22-4
6. Central Oklahoma (MIAA)                                      26-4                   26-4
7. Winona State (NSIC)                                             15-5                    19-7
8. Arkansas Tech (GAC)                                            24-0                    25-0
9. Central Missouri (MIAA)                                         19-6                    22-7
10. Augustana (NSIC)                                                18-7                    20-7

SURVEY SAYS II: For roughly 15-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD has been in every poll since it first appeared on Sept. 10, 2002, a stretch of 216 consecutive weeks. Only Central Missouri (ranked 18th) has a longer running active streak.  The Bulldogs checked in as the sixth best team for the second straight week.
Rank School                                 Points      Record
1        Concordia-St. Paul (40)          1192         24-2
2        California Baptist (7)               1138         24-0
3        Lewis (1)                                 1064         25-2
4        Southwest Minn. State           1029         23-3
5        Nebraska-Kearney                 1012         29-2
6       Minnesota Duluth                   955          22-4
7        Northern State                         915          22-4
8        Western Washington               885          21-3
9        Arkansas Tech                         768          30-0
10      Palm Beach Atlantic                727          22-3

BOOS CLUES: In his 16th year at the helm of the UMD volleyball program, Jim Boos has turn the volleyball club into a perennial national contender. Boos was hired on July 24, 2002 to become the fourth coach since 1976, succeeding Pati Rolf, and has become the longest tenured volleyball coach in the Bulldogs' 41-year history.
The native of Delafield, Wis. has produced a 429-77 record and has taken his club into the NCAA tournament every year expect the 2015 season being an illuminating one despite knocking off the eventual champions Wheeling Jesuit twice in the regular season.
UMD earned its inaugural trip to the NCAA II Elite Eight in 2004 before losing to eventual champions Barry University. Boos was given the prestigious accolade of AVCA Coach of the Year. Two years later, Boos and the Bulldogs would return with another deep postseason before falling to the University of Tampa, who would be crowned National Champions.
Boos has hand-crafted numerous players that have rewritten the record books, and have retooled the expectations set forth yearly by the program. To date, 22 individuals have accumulated AVCA All-American honors since Boos arrival. Each of the past 15 years, the Bulldogs have had at least one representative selected to the all-american team. 
Before his time at UMD, Boos served as an assistant coach at UW-Oshkosh for five years (1992-98) and assistant at North Dakota State University (1998-2001).

HOME COOKIN': One of the hottest tickets in the nation, UMD ranked fourth in average attendance -- first within the conference -- last season. The Bulldogs drew an average of 750 fans during their 8-3 home record. Winning 86 percent of all matches since Romano Gymnasium opened in 1977 (389-62 overall), the most recent era has been lethal, posting a 61-8 record the last five years. The Bulldogs have gone undefeated at home eight times, and have recorded at least double-digits victories in a season on 20 occasions. UMD is 10-0 so far this season and with a victory on Wednesday will record its nine season going undefeated.

UP NEXT: The winner of the NSIC quarterfinal will face the winner of the Wayne State and Concordia-St. Paul  quarterfinal on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 2:30 p.m. The match will be played at the highest remaining seed in the tournament.