THE OPENING SERVE: The University of Minnesota Duluth clashes with Minnesota State University Moorhead and top-ranked Northern State University this weekend to open a five-game homestand. The Dragons get the first crack at the No. 9 Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 21 at 6:00 p.m. A top 10 battle between the Bulldogs and Wolves will ensue on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 2:00 p.m. Both Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchups will be held at Romano Gymnasium.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MSU MOORHEAD: The Dragons (8-4; 4-1 NSIC) have won five of the last six with a five-set triumph over Bemidji State last Saturday. MSU Moorhead's only NSIC loss is to Saturday's opposition, Northern State. 
The Dragons have a solid defensive personal. They are third in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.135) behind the Bulldogs. They are led by Monica Vega who is averaging 4.91 digs per set. She trails only Tori Hansen of Concordia for the NSIC lead. Vega has seven 20+ digs efforts this season including a season-high tying 23 saves against Bemidji State.  As a unit, they are fourth in the league with 17.00 digs per set. 
Up front, MSU Moorhead has blocked well also. It is fourth in the NSIC with 2.04 blocks per set. Kylie Kanwischer is the main presence at the net with 1.04 blocks per set. Kanwischer had a season high seven blocks in the last outing.
Offensively, the Dragons run a 6-2 attacking system guided by setters Lauren Kiewiet (6.18 assists per set) and Katelyn Selensky (4.15 per set). They have four hitters averaging 2.00 kills per set or higher with Amnda Carlson leading the charge at 3.05 kills per set. Carlson has 19 and 20 kills in her previous two matches. Kaylyn Jenkins is second on the team at 2.29 and leads the Dragons in hitting efficiency at .265 percent.

SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN STATE: The No. 1 Wolves (13-0; 5-0 NSIC) are rolling dispatching every challenger thus far and the stats support that claim. They have swept 11 of their 13 opponents this season including the last three NSIC foes.
Northern State is an offensive nightmare for opposing clubs. It has the nation's best hitting percentage (.384) and the most kills per set (14.95). It has six matches with a hitting percentage better than .400. If that wasn't enough, the Wolves are averaging 2.15 aces per set, the best among the NSIC and 13th in the country. Ashley Rozell is second in the nation with .78 aces per set. Rozell, the team's setter, is averaging 12.73 assists per set also second in the nation.
Powered by a trio of hitters, Hailey Busch is the clubhouse leader knocking down 4.05 kills per set. Her .376 hitting percentage is third on the team. Jenna Rieff holds the top spot at a staggering .524 clip, the best in Division II. Rieff is second behind Busch at 3.20 kills per set. Laura Synder, the 2017 NSIC Freshman Player of the Year, has 3.00 kills per set and is hitting a superb .416 as well. 
Defensively, Northern State isn't too bad itself. The .100 opposing hitting percentage is tops in the NSIC and 14th in the nation. Jaiden Langlie is averaging 4.05 digs per set.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs are 60-13 lifetime against MSU Moorhead. The 60 wins for UMD is the fifth most victories over any program. The Dragons upset the Bulldogs last fall in Moorhead, Minn. 
The Bulldogs are 50-4 in 54 meetings. Northern State won at home in the regular season last season. UMD defeated the Wolves in the first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament in a five set thriller.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents this weekend stack up in their overall records, the NSIC standings and in the AVCA poll.
TEAM        RECORD        NSIC        AVCA
UMD              10-3              3rd            9th
MSUM             6-5              16th           NR
NSU               13-0              4th            1st

THE BROADCAST: All NSIC matches throughout the season will be carried live through a video stream, in addition to live stats, and is available for free at: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd

LAST TIME OUT: UMD defeated Minot State and UMary last weekend on the road. Junior outside hitter Hanna Meyer pounded a career high 18 kills in the 3-0 win over Minot State. Kate Berg recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs and also had five blocks and a career high four aces in the victory over UMary.

HOME COOKIN': Since Romano Gymnasium opened in 1977, the Bulldogs have an overall record of 394-62 overall, winning 86.4 percent of their home matches. The most recent era has been lethal, posting a 72-8 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 COOKIN' II: The Bulldogs have won 13 straight home matches dating back to the 3-1 win over Minnesota State on Nov. 5, 2016. The last home win came in AMSOIL Arena in a sweep of Bemidji State on Sept. 6.

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.

SURVEY SAYS: For roughly 16-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD dropped three spots down to the No. 9 slot. The Bulldogs have been in every poll since it first appeared on Sept. 10, 2002 -- a stretch of 223 consecutive weeks. No other team has a longer active streak.

DIG IT UP: Junior defensive specialist Keena Seiffert has 3.98 digs per set this season, up .70 per set from last season. Seiffert has a streak of eight straight 10+ digs and has led the Bulldogs in that category the last seven matches.

SERVE'S UP: Freshman defensive specialist Sydney Lanoue has been rock solid in serve reception committing only a single error in 106 attempts. Lanoue has successfully passed the last 74 serves going back 31 sets.

BLOCK PARTY: The Bulldogs have 89 blocks on the season, good for 65th nationally. On average, UMD records about seven  blocks per game.

BLOCK PARTY II: The Bulldogs are averaging 2.12 per set, which is also good for second in the conference and 40th in the nation.

ON LOCKDOWN: Teams are hitting .126 on the Bulldogs this season. St. Cloud State hit .270 against UMD, by far the highest mark allowed by the Bulldogs all season. The other 12 clubs have hit .194 or under against the UMD defense. The mark is the 31st best in Division II and second in the NSIC behind Northern State (.100).

CHASING THE 1,000-KILL CLUB: Senior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen would be in line to become the next Bulldog to hit the 1,000 kill mark. Morgen has 1,118 kills combining her playing days with the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Currently, the Appleton, Wis., native is 150 kills away from becoming the 21st member of the Bulldog club.

MOVING UP THE 1,000-KILL CLUB CHARTS: Senior right side hitter Sarah Kelly joined a distinctive group of 19 other Bulldogs to achieve at least 1,000 kills. Kelly has 1,111 kills for her career moving her past Monica Turner for 12th amongst the program. She is 24 kills from passing April Hansen for 11th. 

LIGHT IT UP: Senior right side hitter Sarah Kelly is second in the nation among active career hitting percentages. Kelly is hitting .379 for her career which is 14 points off junior Julianne Miller from Azusa Pacific. As it stands, the Chaska, Minn., native is on pace to scatter the best UMD mark set at .361 by both Monica Turner and Sarah Wyffels.  

SET IT AND FORGET IT: Junior setter Emily Torve moved up to ninth all-time among set assists at UMD last year and currently sits with 3,196. Tammy Wermager is eighth on the UMD charts with 3,513.

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 second highest assists per set among active setters. Her 12.93 clip is .08 off the pace set by Northern State's Ashley Rozell.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will be tested once again inside Romano Gymnasium with the NSIC pairing of Augustana University and No. 18 Wayne State College next weekend.