THE OPENING SERVE: The No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth hosts the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament this weekend at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs take on the University of Sioux Falls Friday night in the second semifinal match at 7:30 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON SIOUX FALLS: The Cougars (18-10) won in four sets at No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul to advance to the semifinal round of the NSIC Tournament. Sioux Falls received votes in the AVCA poll and came in at No. 6 in the NCAA II Central Region Rankings.

The Cougars are extremely effective at the point of attack, registering a .277 hitting clip. Only three other teams in Division II have a higher attack percentage. They are also 36th in kills per set at 13.69. Sioux Falls struggles at stopping opposing teams as teams are hitting .216, which is 11th in the conference and they rank dead-last in digs per set in the NSIC at 13.04. USF is tops in the NSIC with 1.69 aces per set.

Bria Barfnecht leads the Cougars with 3.35 kills per set. Lexi Scott is second with 2.83 kills per set while Averey Vaksich is next with 2.71 kills per set. Barfnecht and Scott are attacking above a .393 clip. Scott is also the clubhouse leader in blocks per set averaging just over a block (0.95). Kasandra Springer heads the defensive group with 3.23 digs per set while Krista Goerger is averaging 10.35 assists per set.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against the Cougars 10-1. UMD has won the last three. It took both matches last season and the one earlier this season at Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls has its only win over the Bulldogs in 2016 when they tripped up UMD in five sets at Romano on Oct. 28. The Bulldogs are 2-0 against Sioux Falls in postseason play.

UMD played well on the offensive end in October. It hit .360 for the match on 50 kills. The Cougars gathered only 25 digs. The Bulldogs hit .516 in the third set for the sweep. Senior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen dropped a match high 14 kills while sophomore outside hitter Kate Berg assembled 12 kills. Four Bulldogs hit above .353 with junior middle blocker Abby Thor reaching .500 on six kills. Junior libero Keena Seiffert piled up 17 of UMD's 36 digs.

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: All matches this weekend will be carried live through a video stream with live stat capabilities. Bulldog Productions will be producing the broadcast with Matt Johnson and Josh Wallace on the call of the NSIC Tournament. The stream is available for free at: portal.stretchinternet.com/nsic

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs moved on the semifinals with a 3-1 win over Upper Iowa on Tuesday night. UMD out hit UIU .228-.173 and had a 67-43 advantage in kills. Four attackers register at least 10 kills for the second time in four matches. Junior right side hitter Hanna Meyer led all players with 20 kills. Senior middle blocker Sarah Kelly had 13 kills while junior middle blocker Abby Thor and sophomore outside hitter Kate Berg each finished with 11 kills. The 67 kills by the Bulldogs were the most for UMD in a four-set match and matched the second highest total in the NSIC this season.

IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT: UMD has been to the conference tournament all seven years since returning to the NSIC. The Bulldogs are 10-4 all-time in the NSIC Tournament, having won the 2013 and 2014 tournaments. UMD hosted that 2014 tournament. They 6-1 at home in the league tournament and 2-3 in the semifinals.

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 fourth in the last 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 406-62 overall, winning 86.4 percent of their home matches. The most recent era has been lethal, posting a 84-8 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 23 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
23- 9/14/17 to current
22- 9/4/12 to 10/18/13

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 25 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 10.36 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 9.73 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 .270 hitting percentage is eighth in the nation. The 14.88 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 14.17.

ON LOCKDOWN: Teams are hitting .152 against the Bulldogs this season. That clip is impressive with six NSIC teams in top 25 in terms of attack percentage. That .152 mark is the 67th best in Division II and the second-best mark in the NSIC.

BLOCK PARTY: The Bulldogs are averaging 2.26 per set, which is good for second in the conference and 24th in the nation.

ROAD BLOCK: The Bulldogs' 2.26 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 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 1.05 blocks per set, which is fourth in the NSIC and 68th 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 eight, 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 (1,025) 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 1,274 career kills moving her into UMD's top 10 for kills. She can surpass former teammate Mariah Scharf and Anene Anderson for eighth with 19 kills.

LIGHT IT UP: Senior right side/middle blocker Sarah Kelly is third in the nation among active career hitting percentages. Kelly is the top senior in terms of hitting percentage attacking at a .386 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 4,012 assists, the seventh Bulldog to reach 4,000 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 12.19 assists per set. In addition, her 4,012 career assists is 14th 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 12.169
2 Ashley Rozell, Northern St. 12.04
3 Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota 11.86
4 Laura DeMarchi  Michigan Tech 11.82
5 Sydney Hilley, Wisconsin 11.73

UP NEXT: With a win Friday night, the Bulldogs will play for their third NSIC Tournament title in the championship round Saturday at Romano Gymnasium on Nov. 10 at Romano Gymnasium against the other semifinal round winner between No. 5 Northern State and No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State.