THE OPENING SERVE: The University of Minnesota Duluth will travel to the University of Minnesota Crookston for its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference road engagement on Saturday. The first serve of the matchup is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. at Lysaker Gymnasium.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINNESOTA CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles started the NSIC slate getting swept by St. Cloud State. Minnesota Crookston is 2-7 overall after dropping three straight. It has gotten off to poor starts as it has won the first set once thus far this season. The Golden Eagles are hitting .104 this season and hit -.039 the last time out, a season low.
Minnesota Crookston is last in the NSIC kills per set (9.4) and hitting percentage (.104) and is ranked near the bottom half in opposing hitting percentage (.200). The Golden Eagles are digging out attacks at a 15.74 per set clip, the seventh best ratio in the NSIC.
Deaira Gresham and Porsha Porath led the Minnesota Crookston attack. Gresham has 75 kills (2.88 kills per set) and has the fourth most attacks per set (10.3) in the conference. Porath is averaging 2.6 kills per set in only 10 sets of action. Sydney Kruisselbrink is totalling 7.41 assists per set. On the back end, Ali Schueler has compiled 113 digs (3.35 digs per set) and Lauren Ulibarri has 95 digs (2.79 d/set).

THE SERIES: This is 26th meeting between the Bulldogs and the Golden Eagles. UMD has won every encounter and has been down right dominate in the series winning the last 37 sets and sweeping Minnesota Crookston the previous 12 matchups.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents this weekend stack up in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, their overall records and in the AVCA poll.
TEAM            NSIC        RECORD            AVCA
UMD               3rd               7-2                    6th
UMC              14th              2-7                    NR

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: portal.stretchinternet.com/crk

For those interested in live stats only follow the link : goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media

LAST TIME OUT: UMD make it nine straight sweeps and 32 consecutive wins over Bemidji State University  on Thursday at AMSOIL Arena. The Bulldogs won 25-19, 25-14 and 25-14 to improve to 92-3 lifetime against the Beavers. Bemidji State finished the match with a .100 hitting percentage stretching the Bulldogs streak of holding opponents under a .194 hitting clip to nine -- all matches in 2018.
Senior right side hitter Sarah Kelly notched a match-high 12 kills as she hit .550 for the match. She anchored the Bulldog attack that hammered down 47 kills and hit .282 on the evening. Junior defensive specialist Keena Seiffert and sophomore outside hitter Kate Berg nearly covered the entire floor. The duo each had a match-high 16 digs including astounding 12 digs in the third set by Berg, who set a personal collegiate best. Senior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen thumped home nine kills and 12 digs in the victory.

SURVEY SAYS: For roughly 16-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD slid five spots from the top billing down it held for a week to No. 6 in the third poll of the season. The Bulldogs have been in every poll since it first appeared on Sept. 10, 2002, a stretch of 221 consecutive weeks. No other team has a longer active streak.

BLOCK PARTY: The Bulldogs have 65 blocks on the season, good for 34th nationally.

BLOCK PARTY II: The Bulldogs are averaging 2.17 per set, which is also good for second in the conference and 39th in the nation.

ON LOCKDOWN: Teams are hitting .117 this season. Northern Michigan hit .194 against UMD, the highest mark allowed by the Bulldogs all season. The mark is the 28th best in Division II and tops in the NSIC.

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 1,074 kills combining her playing days with the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Currently, the Appleton, Wis., native is 191 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 1,100 kills for her career moving her past Sydnie Mauch for 13th amongst the program. She is 10 kills from passing Monica Turner for 12th. 

LIGHT IT UP: Senior right side hitter Sarah Kelly is second in the nation among active career hitting percentages. Kelly is hitting .377 for her career which is 12 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 3,054. 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 fractions of the pace set by Northern State's Ashley Rozell.

CLAIMING THE MIDDLE: Junior middle blocker Abby Thor is clogging up the middle for the NSIC's best defense. Thor has 33 blocks on the season, which is 42 in the nation. Her 1.10 blocks per set ranks 67th among the nation's leaders as she has compiled at least five blocks in four different matches.

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 will continue their road adventures next Tuesday versus St. Cloud State Univeristy.