THE OPENING SERVE: The University of Minnesota Duluth will open up the new 2018-19 athletic season at the Flagler Saints Invitational on Friday, Aug. 24 in St. Augustine, Fla. The Bulldogs have four games starting with the University of Findlay at 1:00 p.m. (CST) and Flagler College at 6:00 p.m. Saturday's slate has Erskine College (9:00 a.m.) and Saint Leo University (1:00 p.m.) squaring off against UMD to end the tournament.

SCOUTING REPORT ON FINDLAY: The Oilers went 28-7 overall and finished runner-ups in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Findlay went to the 2017 NCAA Tournament and had its season end in the Midwest Regional Semifinal to Rockhurst. The Oilers were selected to finish second in the West Division. Amanda Winner returns as the top player for the Oilers. Winner averaged 3.98 kills per set and hit .272 from her outside position.

SCOUTING REPORT ON FLAGLER: The No. 25 Saints posted a 27-4 overall record in 2017, which included an 11-1 mark in the Peach Belt. Flagler has won the conference regular season title the last two seasons and the defending conference tournament champions the last three years. The Saints took home the Southeast Regional crown and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight before succumbing to Rockhurst. Flagler lost its top two hitters but retain three-time All-PBC setter Tara Savisky, who is the program's second in all-time assists.

SCOUTING REPORT ON ERSKINE: The Flying Fleet had a season to forget as they finished 2-23 and were swept in 13 matches in 2017. Erskine return the majority of its roster including four sophomore starters -- Faith Grant, Reilly Bartlett, Rebecca Massengill and Jauhna Smith. The Fleet were selected to finish 10th in the Conference Carolinas. 

SCOUTING REPORT ON SAINT LEO: The Lions wrapped up 2017 with a 23-7 record and bowed out in the second round of the NCAA South Region. Saint Leo returns four of its top-five kill leaders from last season including Ashley Quero who led Saint Leo with 305 kills last season. The Lions were selected to finish fourth in the Sunshine State Conference.

THE SERIES: UMD has faced Erskine and Saint Leo but it has never battled either Findlay or Flagler in its 47-year history. The Bulldogs played the Flying Fleet only once back in 2012 at Romano Gymnasium, rolling in a 3-0 sweep. UMD and Saint Leo met twice, including last season at the 2017 Shark Invitational where the Lions won in four sets. That series is tied 1-1.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents this weekend stack up in the AVCA poll.
UMD         27-6         3rd
UF            28-7         RV
FC            27-4         25th
EC            2-23         NR
SLU         23-7         RV

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: youtube.com/user/FlaglerCollegeSports/live

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

RECAPPING THE 2017 SEASON: The Bulldogs were 26-7 last season and finished 16-4 in the NSIC. UMD had its two postseason tournaments end by the hands of Concordia-St. Paul. The Bulldogs were toppled in five sets in the NSIC Tournament to the Golden Bears after winning a five-set quarterfinal finish against Winona State. UMD rebounded and advanced to the central regional final after surviving a first-round scare over Northern State and toppling top-ranked and host Southwest Minnesota State in the semis. Concordia-St. Paul bested the Bulldogs in four sets to move on to the NCAA finals.

GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK: UMD returns 10 letterwinners to the 2018 squad, including five starters. Those five starters are: senior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen, senior right side hitter Sarah Kelly, junior setter Emily Torve, junior middle blocker Abby Thor, and sophomore outside hitter Kate Berg. Junior defensive specialist Keena Seiffert is back for a second consecutive season as the libero. The Bulldogs will also get a boost from junior outside hitter Mandy Kurosky, who sat out last season after transferring from Northern State.

WELCOME TO MINNESOTA DULUTH: The Bulldogs added six newcomers to the mix this season, the largest freshmen class assembled under Jim Boos since 2007. UMD welcomes a pair of outside hitters Meredith Sutton (Grand Marais, Minn.) and Brooke Scheurer (Rice Lake, Wis.) and a pair of middle blockers Summer Ballard (Crystal, Minn.) and Brianna Weyenberg (Appleton, Wis.). The Bulldogs also bring in a setter Madison Gordon (New Berlin, Wis.) and a defensive specialist Sydney Lanoue (Tracy, Minn.).

BULLDOGS PICKED THIRD IN NSIC: UMD was picked to finish third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for the second consecutive year according to the NSIC coaches' poll. The Bulldogs were selected behind Concordia University, St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State University. UMD received 194 points while Concordia-St. Paul was selected to finish at the top of the conference with 225 points and 15 first-place votes. Southwest Minnesota State nabbed 210 points and the other lone first-place tally. Northern State University (176 points) and Wayne State College (164) rounding out the top-five.

ON THE LOOKOUT FOR KELLY: Two-time AVCA All-American Sarah Kelly returns as one of the league's formidable foes and a candidate for NSIC Player of the Year. The Chaska, Minn., native was selected as one of 16 players in the NSIC to have an eye on for the 2018 season. Kelly was the main component of the offense with 440 kills (3.70 kills/set). The All-NSIC first team right side hitter hit at a .414-clip, the third highest percentage in the nation and tops in the league last season. She recently became the latest Bulldog hitter to etch herself in the 1,000-kill club, and recorded new personal single-game highs in kills, assists, digs, blocks and aces.

SURVEY SAYS: For roughly 16-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD checked in as the third best team in the 2018 preseason poll. The Bulldogs have been in every poll since it first appeared on Sept. 10, 2002, a stretch of 219 consecutive weeks. No other team has a longer active streak.

OPENING DAY SUCCESS: The Bulldogs have not lost on opening day since 2004 when they were swept by Northern Michigan. Since then, UMD is 24-0 on its opening day. That success has expanded into the opening weekend as well. The Bulldogs are 44-4 (.917) on the opening weekend of the season dating back to 2006.

SET IT AND FORGET IT: Junior setter Emily Torve moved up to ninth all-time among set assists last year with 2,709 at UMD. Tammy Wermager is eighth on the UMD charts with 3,513.

AVOIDING THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP: Outside hitter Kate Berg showed the threat that she could present opponents all throughout her freshman season. Berg got acclimated quickly and became the second option in the potent UMD attack. The native of Wayzata, Minn., led all NSIC newcomers in a bevy of categories: kills per set (3.27), points per set (3.64), attacks per set (8.83), kills (378) in 2017.

BOOS CLUES: In his 17th 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' 47-year history.
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, 24 individuals have accumulated AVCA All-American honors since Boos arrival. Each year under his helm, the Bulldogs have had at least one representative selected to the All-American team.
The native of Delafield, Wis. has produced a 438-82 record and has taken his club into the NCAA tournament every year expect the 2015 season -- an illuminating one despite knocking off the eventual champions Wheeling Jesuit twice in the regular season.
The Bulldogs would finish 29-3 in Boos' first go-around, romping to an 18-0 mark against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition as Boos laid claim to the first of his eight conference championships to date. At the end of his debut season behind the Bulldog bench, Boos was recognized by his colleagues as the 2002 NSIC Coach of the Year. He'd repeat that feat in 2011 and again in 2014, when UMD went 20-0 in their tough NSIC schedule defeating 11 ranked teams on the way to a program-best winning percentage with a 33-2 overall record. 
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 2004 AVCA Coach of the Year. Two years later, Boos and the Bulldogs would return with another deep postseason run before falling to the University of Tampa, who would be crowned national champions.
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).

2017 ACCOLADES: Senior right side hitter Sarah Kelly and alumna middle blocker Allison Olley attained AVCA All American honors, continuing the tradition of excellence of having at least one player earn All-American honors for the last 16 years. Kelly was the program's 22nd first-team nod and Olley was the 24th different player in program history to be bestowed an All-American. In addition, sophomore outside hitter Kate Berg, senior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen and junior setter Emily Torve each obtained NSIC second team distinction. Four Bulldogs (Olley, Torve, Kelly and junior middle blocker Abby Thor) garnered NSIC weekly awards with Kelly and Torve each being selected twice. Kelly was also tabbed the AVCA National Player of the Week last year.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs head to Marquette, Mich., for the 2018 Wildcat Open hosted by Northern Michigan University next weekend.