THE OPENING SERVE: After winning the 2017 Keweenaw Classic this past weekend, the University of Minnesota Duluth gear up for Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action starting this Thursday at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs will clash with the University of Minnesota Crookston that night before traversing the road again to battle Bemidji State University.
OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE: UMD plays Minnesota Crookston at home to begin the NSIC slate at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Bemidji State will welcome the Bulldogs to the Physical Education Complex Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
SCOUTING REPORT ON MINNESOTA CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles come into Thursday's contest with a 3-5 record, losing their last two games. UMC played in the South Central Classic in Durant, Okla. to begin the year then split at the Max & Erma's Classic in Aberdeen, S.D.
Outside hitter Kassi Green is the main focal point of the attack for the Golden Eagles. Thirty-five percent of the attack goes through Green. The senior swinger has 3.96 kills/set, which is more than double of any other UMC player.
Maggie Perrel leads the Eagles with 3.04 digs/set. Kaycie Hagen is the UMC setter with 7.42 assists/set. As a club, UMC attacks at a .170-clip to start the season. On the other side of the net, opponents are hitting .257 versus UMC, which is worst among conference teams. The Golden Eagles finished 10-18 (6-14 NSIC) last year.
SCOUTING REPORT ON BEMIDJI STATE: The Beavers will play at St. Cloud State Thursday before hosting UMD. Bemidji State enters the conference season with a 3-5 overall record. BSU competed in the Minot State Classic and the Keweenaw Classic in non-conference action.
The Beavers are hitting a woeful .132 attack percentage, which is last in the league. Emma Hallman is a serving magician, dialing up 18 of the team's 43 aces. BSU runs a two-setter system with Sami Leach (6.07 assists/set) and Shelby Haney (4.32).
BSU uses a balanced attack with four players smashing between 2.00-2.20 kills/set. Mikhaila Ness is the clubhouse leader in kills/set and Jule Touchett clubs a Beaver-leading .313 hitting percentage.
THE SERIES: UMD has yet to lose to Minnesota Crookston in 24 all-time matchups. The Bulldogs swept the Golden Eagles in their latest contest back on Sept. 15, 2016.
The encounter between the Bulldogs and the Beavers is the second-longest running rivalry for UMD. A three-game sweep for the Bulldogs on Sept. 17, 2016 gave UMD its 90th win in 93 contests.
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and their opponents this weekend stack up in the AVCA poll.
TEAM AVCA
UMD 7th
UMC NR
SCSU NR
THE BROADCAST: The match on Thursday versus the Golden Eagles will be carried live through a video stream with live stats capabilities and is available for free at:
portal.stretchinternet.com/umd
Saturday's match against the Beavers will be carried through a live stream by the Bemidji State Athletic Department. The broadcast of that game can be seen here:
portal.stretchinternet.com/bsu
LAST SIDE OUT: The Bulldogs captured the Keneenaw Classic championship last weekend. UMD blasted the competition sweeping all four teams that stood in the Bulldogs' way including host Michigan Technological University in the tournament finale to take home the hardware.
Junior right side hitter Sarah Kelly, junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen and senior middle blocker Allison Olley were all named to the all-tournament team for their efforts with Kelly being named as the team's most valuable player. UMD amassed the most players on the all-tournament team.
Kelly mustered 43 kills hitting a .436 percentage on the week and was second on the team in points scored behind Morgen. Olley terminated 34 balls and stuffed the opposing attack 14 times including a monster solo block in the Michigan Tech game. Olley, also, one-upped Kelly as she reached an absurd attacking clip of .509. Morgen paced the Bulldogs with 50 kills (4.17 kills/set) and had double-digits kills in three of the four matches and collected 46 digs (3.83 digs/set) to lead the club as well. In addition, Morgen had a game-high 14 kills to help capture the Keweenaw Classic.
A TOP THE NCAA MOUNTAIN: With two weeks completed, UMD ranks among the National Collegiate Athletic Association best.
Sophomore setter Emily Torve ranks second in the nation with 12.79 assists/set falling just shy of the leader Concordia-St. Paul's Elizabeth Mohr (13.10). With only 25 sets under her belt, Torve ranks 33rd in total assists (307).
With senior Sarah Heesacker, UMD is No.1 is the nation in assists/set (14.96). Those assists numbers also have the Bulldogs sitting atop of the leader board for kills/set at an astounding 15.92 (57 points better than Wingate University).
Senior middle blocker Allison Olley and junior Sarah Kelly have each established themselves as one of the most efficient hitters in the land. Olley (.510) and Kelly (.503) sit second and third, respectively, in attack percentage. Those outstanding clips have catapulted UMD to the second best hitting average at .335 just two points shy of Flagler College.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: Junior outside hitter Mazenkie Morgen has racked up three double-doubles in the first eight games of the seaosn and nearly was on the verge of collecting three more.
Sept. 1- Nova Southeastern 11k-12d
Sept. 8- Lake Superior State 15k-13d
Sept. 9- Wisconsin-Parkside 12k-11d
SURVEY SAYS: For roughly 15-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD checked in as the seventh-best team to begin the season according to the preseason poll and stayed idled at for the first two weeks of the poll. Four conference foes including the Bulldogs sit atop the top ten with Southwest Minnesota State University and Concordia University, St. Paul settling into the number one and two spots, respectively. Augustana University bumped up a spot to No. 9 since the preseason poll.
Rank School Points Record
1 Southwest Minn. State (44) 1172 8-0
2 Concordia-St. Paul (4) 1156 7-1
3 Lewis 1085 7-1
4 Palm Beach Atlantic 1045 5-0
5 Angelo State 980 8-1
6 Nebraska-Kearney 961 8-1
7 Minnesota Duluth 884 7-1
8 Ferris State 852 6-1
9 Augustana (SD) 757 8-1
10 Western Washington 718 6-2
SURVEY SAYS II: In the perennial Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coaches Preseason Poll, the Bulldogs were chosen to finish third in the 16-team conference. UMD was selected behind NCAA II defending champions Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State. The Golden Bears received 218 points and amassed 10 first-place votes. The Mustangs collected 202 points and three first-place tallies. The Bulldogs came up one point shy of SMSU and had one first-place vote. Augustana was the other institution to garner a top-place finish. Augustana (172) along with Winona State (171) round out the top five.
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 419-76 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 returned with another deep postseason before falling to the University of Tampa, who would be crowned National Champions.
The Bulldogs under the direction of Boos haven't been to kind to the NSIC or the NCC. Boos holds a staggering career conference record of 227-34.
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).
LEADERS OF THE PACK: Sarah Heesacker, Kelly Madison and Allison Olley will operate as co-pilots for the 2017 squad. All three players are serving their fourth and final collegiate seasons. Over the past three years, the three seniors have gone an impressive 81-15. That .844 winning percentage is eighth-best in the nation during that span.
NEW DOGS ON THE BLOCK: The Bulldogs bring in three new freshmen (Megan Freeberg, Kate Berg and Lexy Langenfeld) and a transfer for the 2017 season. Mandy Kurosky, a local native of Duluth, Minn., will sit out the 2017 season due to transfer restrictions after playing the few couple years at Northern State University.
2016 ACCOLADES: Sarah Kelly attained AVCA All American honorable mention honors in 2016 continuing the tradition of excellence of having at least one player earn all-american honors for the last 15 years. Kelly notched career marks with 323 kills. The Chaska, Minn. native also tied her .360 attack percentage from 2015.
Sophomore setter Emily Torve produced effectively after taking over for four-time all-american Ashley Hinsch. The Loretto, Minn. native claimed NSIC Freshman of the Year after displaying 11.91 assists per set and a .281 hitting percentage. Torve was also selected second team all-conference.
Senior middle blocker Allison Olley and junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen each grabbed All-NSIC second team selections. Olley slid into a full-time gig last season throwing down 256 kills and 110 total blocks. Morgen, who transferred from the University of Maryland-Baltimore Country, led the club with 342 kills while also collecting 273 digs.
HOME COOKIN': One of the hottest tickets in the nation, UMD ranked fourth in average attendance -- first within the conference --last season. The dogs drew an average of 750 fans during their 8-3 home record. Winning 86 percent of all matches since Romano Gymnasium opened in 1977 (383-62 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 19 occasions.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday evening Sept. 19 against St. Cloud State University at Romano Gymnasium. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.
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