As the only ranked club in the tournament, the University of Minnesota Duluth proved their worth of that every notion by making quick work of their opponents to start out the 2017 season. The seventh-ranked Bulldogs bulldozed through Saint Anselm College in straight sets and then plunged host Nova Southeastern University in the same fashion in the nightcap of the Shark Invitational in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. UMD has started 2-0 every season since 2005 when it lost in five sets to Turman State University.

The Bulldogs saw very little resistance at the net during both of their matches, swinging at a .422 clip while holding the opposition to a meager .159 hitting percentage. UMD also gained easy points at the service line, collecting nine aces while committing only four. Those hefty advantages help propel the club in winning five of their six sets by 11 points or more. 

As contrary to many openers, there was plenty of Bulldog firsts. Freshman outside hitter Kate Berg and sophomore Bailey Ramich saw their first collegiate action today with Berg grabbing a pair of starts. In addition, sophomore middle blocker Abby Thor made her first career start. Head coach Jim Boos also accumulated his first-ever replay challenge victory, in his lone attempt, proving to be the deciding factor in a closely-contested third set versus Nova Southeastern.

UMD 25-12, 25-13, 25-14 over Saint Anselm
The Hawks never established any momentum as UMD applied the pressure from the beginning. ASC only held the lead for two points the entire match, gaining the first points in the opening sessions of the first and third sets. The Bulldogs took a commanding lead in the first thanks in part to a 11-3 run in the early going. The following frames, a series of 8-2 and 9-4 runs help UMD coast to the win. Junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen lead the team with 13 kills with Berg close behind at 11. Senior libero Kelly Madison guiding the backcourt with a team-high 11 digs. Sophomore setter and reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Freshman of the Year Emily Torve contributed with nine digs, dishing out 37 assists in that time.

UMD 25-14, 25-14, 25-22 over Nova Southeastern
The Sharks' main attacker Maya Patterson was frustrated most of night by a stifling defense. Patterson had 47 of the Sharks' 112 attempts but only had 13 kills. By keeping the main weapon at bay, the Bulldogs blitzed out to a comfortable two-set lead, winning back-to-back 25-14 games without receiving much backlash. UMD's most competitive set of the night was its last, one that featured 14 ties and six lead changes. The Bulldogs, who trailed by their largest margin of 14-11 in the final set, slowly inched their way back into the contest, with the help of a challenge by Boos, eventually knotting the contest at 20 before crawling ahead with the final three points. Junior right side hitter Sarah Kelly (15), Berg (12) and Morgen (11) each clobbered double-digit kills. Morgen garnered 12 digs for her first double-double of the season. Madison notched a career-high 29 digs, which led all players.

The Bulldogs return to the court tomorrow morning with a match against American International College, who went 0-2 today, at 10:30 a.m. before taking on Saint Leo University, who had back-to-back sweeps in day one, at 1:30 p.m. to conclude the 10th-annual tournament.