THE OPENING SERVE: For the 20th time in school history, the University of Minnesota Duluth will enter the NCAA II Tournament this Thursday. The Central Region Tournament will be held Nov. 30 through Dec. 2 with the winner advancing to the Division II Elite Eight in Pensacola, Fla. on Dec. 7-9. 
The eight-team region tournament will be held at the PE Gym on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State, who is the top seed and tournament host.
The Bulldogs were tagged with the fifth seed during the selection show, which was held Monday, Nov. 20, and will square off against No. 4 Northern State University at 5:00 p.m.

WHO'S IN: Three teams claimed automatic bids through conference tournament qualifiers. Southwest Minnesota State won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament and took the top seed. The University of Nebraska Kearney won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association and earned the third seed. Arkansas Tech University defeated everyone in the Great American Conference and claimed the eighth seed. 
The NSIC received three at-large bids (Concordia University, St. Paul, UMD and Northern State). The MIAA was awarded with the other two at-large bids (Missouri Western State University and the University of Central Oklahoma).

THE PAIRINGS: No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul (28-3) vs. No. 7 Central Oklahoma (29-5) -- 12:00 p.m.

No. 3 Nebraska Kearney (33-3) vs. No. 6 Missouri Western State (24-10) -- 2:30 p.m.

No. 4 Northern State (23-6) vs. No. 5 UMD (24-6) -- 5:00p.m. 

No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State (26-3) vs. No. 8 Arkansas Tech (35-0) -- 7:30 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN STATE: The Wolves come into the contest 23-6 and finished tied with the Bulldogs for third in the NSIC with a 16-4 record. Northern State was the third seed in the NSIC Tournament and got upset by Augustana in the first round at home. The Vikings lost the first set and rallied to take the final three sets. Northern State received an at-large bid after going 5-5 against top-25 teams including a stunning four-set takedown of Southwest Minnesota State
NSU is coached by Brent Aldridge, whom is in his seventh year with the team and making his third appearance into the regional. As a unit, they rank fifth in hitting percentage (.287) and 28th in kills/set (13.96).
Sophomore Ashley Rozell is eighth in the nation in assists per set (1.89) while also ranking eighth in aces per set with 0.55. She led the conference with her serve as her totaled 55 aces so far on the year. 
Junior Hailey Busch is leading the team in kills with 332. Her 4.65 kills per set is 21st in the nation. She is also attacking at a respectable .383-clip as an outside hitter. Freshman Laura Snyder, who was named the NSIC Freshman of the Year, is 11th in the nation in hitting percentage at .383 and is averaging just under 3.00 kills a set.
Sophomore Jenna Reiff paces the club in blocks with just over a block a set and sophomore Jaiden Langlie is the digs leader for the Wolves with 419 (4.19 per set).

THE SERIES: UMD leads the series 49-4 over Northern State. The Thursday matchup will be 54th meeting between the two squads and the 14th time since playing yearly in 2008. The Bulldogs are 11-3 since squaring off annually. 
The Wolves knocked off UMD in Aberdeen, S.D. in straight sets in their only contest this season. Northern State is one of two teams to have swept the Bulldogs this year. The Wolves was one of a select few to stymie the UMD attack. The Bulldogs hit .118 -- second lowest clip of the season -- and had 27 errors, the most in a three-set match.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and NSU stack up in the AVCA poll and the NCAA Central Region seeding.
TEAM        RECORD        AVCA        SEED
UMD             24-6               7th             5th
NSU              23-6              11th            4th

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/smsu

For those interested in live stats only follow the link below:
www.sidearmstats.com/smsu/wvball/

LAST SIDE OUT: UMD bowed out of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament in the semifinals to Concordia-St. Paul. The Bulldogs had a 2-0 lead and had two match points in the fourth set. The Golden Bears fended off the surge and advanced to the NSIC Championship, where it lost to Southwest Minnesota State. 
The match was mostly even with the exception coming in the service game. The Bears stepped up their service game and the Bulldogs made a grand total of 12 reception errors, which was a season high for UMD.
Since the change to the 25-point format in 2008, the Bulldogs dropped their second match after up in the first sets in 219 matches. The only other setback occurred on Nov. 15, 2016 to Wayne State at home in the NSIC quarterfinals.
Makenzie Morgen had 21 of the club's 61 kills. Morgen hit a team-high .260 and her 21 kills were a game high. Kate Berg was second on the team with 16 kills. Emily Torve gathered 55 assists and 12 digs. Torve was one of three Bulldogs to compile 12 digs along with Morgen and Sarah Kelly. Keena Seiffert posted a team-high 13 digs. Seiffert, Torve and Morgen each registered two aces.

IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: This is the 20th time in program history UMD has been to the national tournament and its 15th in the last 16 seasons. The Bulldogs had an early exit last year, losing in four sets to Winona State.
The Bulldogs have made it out of the region twice in 2004 and 2006. Each time they have lost in the to eventual champions in the semifinals. Barry defeated UMD in 2004 and Tampa did the same thing two years later.

FARING AGAINST THE CENTRAL REGION: Against ranked opponents this season, UMD is 7-4. Northern State will be its fifth straight ranked opponent in a row, a program high.  The Bulldogs are 5-4 against teams that made the field of 64 and 2-3 versus the central region. They split against top-seeded Southwest Minnesota State and second-seeded Concordia-St. Paul and lost their only matchup with Northern State.

GOING THE DISTANCE: The last three matches have gone to the fifth set, which is the first time in program history that three consecutive matches have needed the decisive final set. UMD is 3-2 in fifth sets this season. 2009 was the last time the Bulldogs won four five-set matches.

SPREAD THE WEALTH: The Bulldogs have had at least three attackers rip 10 or more kills in a single match on 14 occasions. They are 11-3 in those 14 matches.  When UMD had four attackers notch double figures kills, it went 5-1 with that only loss coming to Saint Leo. Once have the Bulldogs registered five attackers hitting that mark. They defeated Wayne State in four sets back on Sept. 22.

ON A ROLL: Kate Berg tied Sarah Kelly for consecutive matches with double digit kills in the last outing for the season. Berg has now posted at least 10 kills in seven straight matches, a run that started back on Oct. 31 against St. Cloud State. Kelly had her streak run from Sept. 14 to Sept 29 which ended when she only collected nine kills vs. SMSU.

YOU CAN ONLY HOPE TO CONTAIN IT: Displaying the nation's best offense in terms of its attack percentage and the second-best kills per set, the Bulldogs have hit above the .300-mark in 19 of its 30 matches and above .400 in four of those. UMD has only hit sub-.200 only three times this season. They have out blasted the opposition in kills in all but two matches (SMSU- 9/30 and Winona State- 11/15).
The Bulldogs have the three of the top 17 highest kill totals in three set matches, and top ten totals in a four and five set match as well. Eight players have notched collegiate bests for kills in a match this season.

TOP NOTCH OFFENSE: As good as UMD's .293 attack clip is, it's the third best percentage since Jim Boos' arrival in 2002. UMD hit .299 in 2015 and .305 in 2013.

WATCH THE ATTACK ERRORS: With all that success, UMD has killed itself in its six losses on attack errors. It has combined to hit .178 in those six games and mishandle the attack with an average of 28.3 errors a match or 7.1 errors a set. On average, the Bulldogs commit 17.6 errors a match and only 4.3 a set when they pull out a victory. Only once had they out hit opponents and lost.

SLIP THROUGH THE BLOCK: The Bulldogs have been slightly below their yearly average in blocks per set the past few years. UMD is averaging a solid 1.94 blocks a set, which is it's lowest mark since 2011 (1.75). Opponents are hitting .184 this year, the second highest average in Jim Boos' tenure. In 2015, the Bulldogs allowed the opposition to attack at a .187-clip.

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.

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

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 fifth in the nation with 12.13 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 second in the nation in assists/set (14.28). Those assists numbers also have the Bulldogs sitting in second on the leader board for kills/set at an astounding 15.18.
Senior middle blocker Allison Olley and junior Sarah Kelly have each established themselves as one of the most efficient hitters in the country. Kelly (.417) and Olley (.391) sit third 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 .293, two points ahead of next best Southwest Minnesota State (.291).

SET IT AND FORGET IT: Sophomore setter Emily Torve moved up to ninth all-time among set assists with 2,572 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 12.02 edging Marina Hansen (Colo. School of Mines). Torve also turned in a new personal match-high with 65 assists this season. 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 third among active players in DII in career hitting percentage. Her .383 clip trails Brittany Deveaux of Bluefield State College by 19 points. Kelly hit .360 in back-to-back seasons and is more efficient this year as she has clubbed an astounding .417 while she has increased her kills per set by 65 points up to 3.64. 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 42 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 (3.30), points per set (3.72), attacks per set (8.83), kills (350). Among all freshmen, she ranks ninth in the country in terms of total kills, 13th in points per set and 11th kills per set.

WHY SERVE TO HER: Teams have been picking on the freshman in the serve-receive game all season. Kate Berg has seen 547 serves come her direction, the most among any Bulldog. She only has 30 errors which is good for a .948-clip, the third best mark on the club. 
More importantly, Berg has translated her passing to quick kills. Forty-two percent of the time (232 kills) Berg has passed good balls to the setter for easy terminations.

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 40 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 12 double-doubles. She has recorded a double-double in the last three matches.

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
Nov. 15- Winona State 15k-16d
Nov. 18- Concordia-St. Paul 21k-12d

SURVEY SAYS: 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 217 consecutive weeks. Only Central Missouri (ranked 19th) has a longer running active streak with 421.  The Bulldogs checked in as the seventh best team in the second-to-last poll.

Rank School                                     Points         Record

1         California Baptist (27)              1162              28-0
2         Southwest Minn. State (13)      1146             28-3
3         Concordia-St. Paul (7)             1101              28-3
4         Lewis (1)                                   1083             31-2
5         Western Washington                 996              25-3
6         Nebraska-Kearney                    896               33-3
7         Minnesota Duluth                    875               24-6
8         Arkansas Tech                          840               35-0
T-9      Palm Beach Atlantic                 787                25-3
T-9      Regis                                         787               28-3

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).

UP NEXT: The winner of the match will continue on to face the advancing team between Southwest Minnesota State and Arkansas Tech on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the PE gym in Marshall, Minn.