THE OPENING SERVE: The No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth enters as the top seed for its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament quarterfinal match versus eighth-seeded Upper Iowa University. The two-time tournament champions will meet the Peacocks this Tuesday at Romano Gymnasium starting at 6:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON UPPER IOWA: The Peacocks (18-10; 11-9 NSIC) ended up in a three-way tie with Minnesota State and St. Cloud State for seventh in the conference and secured the final conference postseason spot with the tie-breaker over St. Cloud State in strength of schedule. Upper Iowa lost back-to-back five-set matches to Wayne State and Southwest Minnesota State before defeating Sioux Falls in the regular season finale. This is the second time UIU has made the NSIC Tournament, doing so in back-to-back years.

The Peacocks average 13.3 kills per set, 12.5 assists per set, 2.0 blocks per set, 19.7 digs per set and 1.5 aces per set. They are atop the conference in digs and attacks per set (40.02). Upper Iowa is hitting .211 and opponents are hitting .159 against them. That is the third-best defensive clip.

Anna Winter has 3.93 kills per set, tops among Peacocks and fourth in the NSIC. Kaitlin Niedart is up there also at 2.88 kills per set. Malissa LeClaire is dishing out 10.69 assists per set while Haley Weepie paces Upper Iowa with 4.68 digs per set, good for fifth in the NSIC. Bethany Lovhaug is the block leader at 1.09 per set, good for third in the league.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against the Peacocks 15-0 going back to when the rivalry first started in 2008. UMD has swept Upper Iowa 10 times including the last four matchups.

The Bulldogs won in three sets earlier this season at home to the Peacocks. UMD hit .331 in the match and were led by senior right side/middle blocker Sarah Kelly who had 16 kills. Six Bulldogs registered at least six kills and junior setter Emily Torve handed out 46 assists. Anna Winter propelled the Peacocks with 17 kills on 31 swings. She hit .548 and no other Peacock hit above .222.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents stack up with their overall records, NSIC seeding, in the AVCA poll and in the NCAA Regional Rankings.

THE BROADCAST: Tuesday's NSIC Quarterfinal match will be carried live through a video stream with live stat capabilities. Bulldog Productions will be producing the broadcast with Josh Wallace on the call of the conference postseason battle. The stream is available for free at:  portal.stretchinternet.com/umd

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs collected two more wins to wrap up the regular season. UMD defeated Mary and Minot State at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs took all three sets over the Marauders with senior right side/middle blocker Sarah Kelly and junior right side hitter Hanna Meyer each hit .714 for the match. Kelly had 15 kills while Meyer had 11 kills. The following day, Kelly and Meyer also piled up at least 10 kills in the sweep over Minot State. Junior middle blocker Abby Thor had a team-high 13 kills as the Bulldogs attacked at a .440 clip. UMD's attack percentage was the third-highest mark of the season. 

IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT: UMD has been to the conference tournament all seven years since returning to the NSIC. The Bulldogs are 9-4 all-time in the NSIC Tournament, having won the 2013 and 2014 tournaments. UMD hosted the 2014 tournament and is 5-1 at home in the league tournament.

BEST OF THE CONFERENCE: Six Bulldogs were recognized by the NSIC for all-conference accolades. Senior right side/middle blocker Sarah Kelly, junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen, junior setter Emily Torve and sophomore outside hitter Kate Berg all received first team honors. Junior right side hitter Hanna Meyer middle blocker Abby Thor each obtained NSIC second team distinction.

For Kelly, this is her third straight first team honor. Morgen and Torve each attained first team honors for the first time after collecting a pair of second team honors. Berg jumped up to the top team after grabbing second team honors as a freshman. For Meyer and Thor, this is their first all-conference selection.

NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: A pair of Bulldogs -- junior middle blocker Abby Thor and junior setter Emily Torve -- have been honored by the NSIC with its weekly honors. Thor was named the NSIC Offensive Player of Week on Oct. 1. Torve was selected the NSIC Setter of the Week four times (Sept. 24-Oct. 15).

SETTING THE BAR: Junior setter Emily Torve showcased world class form. The quarterback of the Bulldog offense notched the Setter of the Week award for four consecutive weeks, a believe-to-be league first. Torve was the first to three-peat that honor since 2014 when Bulldog almuna Ashley Hinsch rolled off three straight accolades. During her superior run, the Bulldogs attack at a .301 hitting clip and averaged 15.8 kills per set. Torve tallied 475 assists or 13.5 assists per set over the course of that month-long stretch.

SURVEY SAYS: For roughly 16-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD has been ranked in the top 10 in every poll this season and at No. 4 in back-to-back weeks. In fact, the Bulldogs have been in every poll since it first appeared on Sept. 10, 2002 -- a stretch of 230 consecutive weeks. No other team has a longer active streak.

SURVEY SAYS II: UMD was ranked fifth in the second listing of the NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings released 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 Sunday, Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com.

HOME COOKIN': Since Romano Gymnasium opened in 1977, the Bulldogs have an overall record of 404-62 overall, winning 86.4 percent of their home matches. The most recent era has been lethal, posting a 82-8 record the last six-plus years. UMD has gone undefeated at home nine times, and has recorded at least double-digits victories in a season on 20 occasions. 

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Bulldogs have the fifth largest NCAA Division II home attendance averaging 865 fans a match.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Bulldogs have won 22 straight home matches dating back to Sept. 14, 2017. That is the fourth longest home winning streak.

Home Winning Streak
37- 10/23/78 to 10/14/81
33- 8/27/05 to 11/16/07
22- 9/4/12 to 10/18/13
22- 9/14/17 to current

PULLING RANK: UMD is 4-2 against ranked teams this season. The Bulldogs have defeated No. 25 Flagler and No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul in straight sets, and upset Northern State in five sets on two occasions.

ALL BUT GAME OVER: UMD is 20-0 this season when it leads 2-0 going into the intermission. Since the change to 25-point format in 2008, the Bulldogs are 240-2.

DIG THIS: Junior defensive specialist Keena Seiffert has 24 straight matches with at least double figures dig totals. During this stretch, Seiffert scraped up a collegiate best 26 digs against Winona State at home. She has at least nine digs in all but one match this season. 

NO EASY WAY OUT: UMD is allowing 10.34 kills per set which is the lowest total in the NSIC this season. The Bulldogs haven't reached a number that low since 2012 when that squad gave up 10.23 kills per set.

PLAYING OUR STYLE OF BALL: The Bulldogs have done an excellent job of defending and keeping teams out of system. Opponents have 9.71 assists per set against UMD, the lowest total in the NSIC.

OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT: The Bulldog offense is once again near the top of the NCAA Division II charts. The .272 hitting percentage is seventh in the nation. The 14.81 kills per set is third in the nation and second in the NSIC and UMD has the third highest assists per set in the country with 14.10.

ON LOCKDOWN: Teams are hitting .151 against the Bulldogs this season. That clip is impressive with six NSIC teams in top 25 in terms of attack percentage. That .151 mark is the 65th best in Division II and the second-best mark in the NSIC.

BLOCK PARTY: The Bulldogs are averaging 2.25 per set, which is good for second in the conference and 24th in the nation.

ROAD BLOCK: The Bulldogs' 2.25 blocks per set this season is the third highest per set average in the last 12 years. 

NO PARTNER NEEDED: Junior middle blocker Abby Thor has 15 solo blocks this season. That is first among Bulldogs and tied for the sixth in the NSIC. 

THE HAMMER OF THE BLOCK: Junior middle blocker Abby Thor has 101 blocks on the year and is on pace to becoming the third blocker in consecutive seasons to compile at least a block per set. She has 1.03 blocks per set, which is fifth in the NSIC and 73rd among her peers. She became the third different Bulldog in the last four years to rack up at least 100 blocks in a season.

A TWO-WAY PLAYER: Sophomore outside hitter Kate Berg hasn't fallen into the sophomore slump. Berg has the most double-doubles for UMD this season with seven, all of the kill-dig variety.

WELCOME TO THE 1,000-KILL CLUB: Senior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen becoming the 21st member of the Bulldog club to rack up 1,000 kills. The Appleton, Wis., native reached the milestone against MSU Moorhead in third set. Morgen, who has slid into 16th for most kills (1,018) at UMD, has 1,283 kills combining her playing days with the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

MOVING UP THE KILL CHARTS:  Senior right side/middle blocker Sarah Kelly is one of those 1,000-Kill members as well. Kelly has 1,261 career kills moving her into UMD's top 10 for kills. She is 21 kills from passing former teammate Mariah Scharf (1,281) for ninth.

LIGHT IT UP: Senior right side/middle blocker Sarah Kelly is fourth in the nation among active career hitting percentages. Kelly is the top senior in terms of hitting percentage attacking at a .387 clip. As it stands, the Chaska, Minn., native is on pace to shatter the best UMD mark set at .361 by both Monica Turner and Sarah Wyffels.  

SET IT AND FORGET IT: Junior setter Emily Torve has 3,953 assists, passing Krista Naugton for seventh all-time among set assists at UMD. Torve is chasing Eleena Iisakka for sixth all-time with 4,124 assists.

THE COMPLETE SET: On a national stage, junior setter Emily Torve has the reputation of directing a few of the nation's best hitters and offenses during her stint. The Bulldogs have had the fifth and fourth best offensive hitting percentages the past two seasons. Pile those successes and Torve has the highest assists per set among active setters across all NCAA divisions registering in at 12.15 assists per set. In addition, her 3,953 career assists is 15th among active Division II players and the most by a junior.

Top 5 Active Career Leaders in Assists Per Set
1 Emily Torve, Minn. Duluth 12.16
2 Ashley Rozell, Northern St. 12.06
3 Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota 11.86
4 Laura DeMarchi  Michigan Tech 11.80
5 Sydney Hilley, Wisconsin 11.73

UP NEXT: With a win on Tuesday, the Bulldogs will host the NSIC Tournament semifinals and championship rounds at Romano Gymnasium on Nov. 9-10. The NSIC semifinals will be held Friday night and the NSIC championship will be held Saturday. If UMD advances to the next round it would face the winner of the Concordia-St. Paul and Sioux Falls quarterfinal winner, which is at Sioux Falls.