THE OPENING SERVE: The University of Minnesota Duluth hits the road to start playoffs. UMD will take on Augustana in the first round in Sioux Falls, S.D., where the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament is being held at the Sanford Pentagon.

SCOUTING REPORT ON (RV) AUGUSTANA (S.D.): The Vikings come off a weekend where they split, first taking on Northern State where they were swept, 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-22). They would then go on to take on MSU Moorhead and beat them in four sets, 3-1 (25-13, 25-23, 26-28, 25-16). Augustana (S.D.) now sits with a 20-9 record (13-7 in the NSIC, finishing in a tie for sixth) on the year, and are receiving votes in this weeks American Volleyball Coaches Association. Jennifer Jacobs is still at the helm of the Vikings since the last time the Bulldogs played Augustana, in which they swept the Vikings, 3-0. Jacobs is in her third year at the head coach position, carrying a 53-36 (.596) all time record.
Maddy Guetter is leading the squad on the offensive side of the ball this season, leading the team in both kills (288) and kills per set (2.94). Avery Thorson has been able to set the Vikings up with a .214 hitting percentage this season, leading the team in assists (1036) and assists per set (10.16). Erika Brute has been a digging machine for the Vikings, leading the squad in digs (566) and digs per set (5.44). She ranks second in the NSIC in digs per set, and ranks 31st in all DII in digs per set.

THE SERIES: This will be the second time the Bulldogs will have faced the Augustana Vikings. UMD would sweep Augustana, 3-0. UMD is 34-10 all time against the Vikings, last losing to Augustana in 2017 in four set, 1-3, in an NSIC regular season contest. UMD won the NSIC Tournament last season, taking down Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul. The Bulldogs come into the tournament ranked tied for second in the NSIC.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and the NSIC field this weekend stack up in their overall records, the NSIC standings and in the AVCA poll.
 

SCHOOL	OVERALL	NSIC	AVCA
UMD	23-5	T-2ND	T-8TH
AUG	20-9	T-6TH	RV
NSU	24-4	1ST	4TH
CSP	23-5	T-2ND	T-8TH
SCSU	23-5	4TH	7TH
WSC	24-6	5TH	12TH
WSU	21-7	T-6TH	15TH
UIU	20-8	8TH	19TH

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: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umd/

For those interested in live stats only follow the link and click on the stats button: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd/

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs are coming off a down week. One where they went 0-2 to two Top-25 ranked opponents in the AVCA Poll. UMD started the weekend off by taking on Upper Iowa, where they would lose in five sets after battling back from being down two sets to zero. The Bulldogs then went on to face-off against Winona State University, where they would be swept in straight sets, 3-0. This was the first time since last season that the squad has lost two in a row. UMD looks to bounce back this weekend.

RECAPPING THE 2018 SEASON: The Bulldogs were 28-6 last season and finished 17-3 in the NSIC. UMD had tied for the NSIC regular season championship with Northern State, as well as winning the NSIC Tournament. The Bulldogs were dealt a loss at the hands of the eventual NCAA DII central regional champions, Washburn university.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Bulldogs were able to snag two player of the week honors last week. Senior middle blocker Abby Thor landed Offensive Player of the Week for the first time this season, while senior setter Emily Balts landed her fourth Setter of the Week this season.

WELL STRUCK IN THE NATION: UMD currently averages 14.98 kills per set, good for tops in both the NSIC and DII. A big part of that average is junior outside hitter Kate Berg, who currently is sitting third in the NSIC and ninth in the nation with a 4.28 average.  The Bulldogs are hitting .255, fifth in the NSIC and 17th in DII. Senior middle blocker Abby Thor is a big help in that department. Thor swings at a .357 clip, fifth the NSIC and good for 39th in DII.

KILLING IT: Kate Berg currently sits ninth among active juniors in kills, totaling to 1,120, and sits 53rd among all active DII players. Abby Thor is currently sitting 20th among active DII players and just outside the top 25 across all divisions in hitting percentage, with a .335 clip in her career.

BLOCK PARTY: Abby Thor has 88.0 total blocks on the year and 316.0 in her career, cracking the top 10 in blocks at UMD all time. She currently sits ninth all time behind Katie Timm, who finished her career with 332.

CAN YOU DIG IT: Senior defensive specialist Keena Seiffert has a total of 1,412 digs in her career, sitting 56th among seniors, and 70th among all active players in DII. She has cracked into the top 10 at UMD for defensive digs, passing Kate (Lange) Sterns (1,235) ,  Alyson Grey (1,238),  Callie Zwettler (1,265) and  Krista Naughton (1,408) . She currently sits seventh. She is looking to pass Julie Bubar (1,443) for sixth all time with the Bulldogs.

SETTING THE BAR: The Bulldogs currently average 13.96 assists per set, leading the NSIC, DII and second across all divisions. Senior setter Emily Balts, the quarterback of the Bulldog offense, currently averages 12.16 assists on the year, good for first in the NSIC, second in DII and second across all divisions. She has averaged 12.21 assists per set in her career, leading the nation across all divisions among active players. She has notched setter of the week in the NSIC four times so far this year. She was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American second team in 2018. Emily Balts moved up to sixth all-time among set assists at UMD, and currently has 5,361. Rhaya Tomberlin is fifth on the UMD charts with 5,406.

ACES WILD: Sophomore setter Madison Gordon currently averages .31 aces per set, good for 16th in the NSIC.

GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK: UMD returns 10 letterwinners to the 2018 squad, including four starters and a libero. Those four starters are: senior setter Emily Balts, senior middle blocker Abby Thor, senior right side hitter Hanna Meyer and junior outside hitter Kate Berg. Senior defensive specialist Keena Seiffert is back for a third consecutive season as the libero.

WELCOME TO MINNESOTA DULUTH: The Bulldogs added two newcomers to the mix this season. UMD welcomes freshman outside hitter Grace Post (New Aubrun, Wis.) and freshman outside hitter Hope Schjenken (Deer River, Minn.).

BULLDOGS PICKED SECOND IN NSIC: UMD was picked to finish in a tie with Concordia University, St. Paul for second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference according to the NSIC coaches' poll. The Bulldogs were selected behind Northern State. UMD received 203 points and four first place votes while Northern State was selected to finish at the top of the conference with 209 points and six first-place votes. Wayne State College (178 points) and Southwest Minnesota State (170 points, one first place vote) round out the top-five.

SURVEY SAYS: For roughly 17-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD receives the No. 5 ranking after turning in a three win week over Bemidji State, Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State. UMD carries a 23-3 overall record and a 16-2 NSIC record, sitting in the lone first place spot. The Bulldogs have been in every poll since it first appeared on Sept. 10, 2002, a stretch of 244 consecutive weeks. No other team has a longer active streak.
 

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Cal State - S.B. (44)	1148	24-0	1
2	Nebraska-Kearny (2)	1105	30-0	2
3	Washburn	1054	26-2	3
4	Northern State	972	24-4	7
5	Regis	876	24-3	8
6	Western Washington	855	24-2	4
7	St. Cloud State	842	23-5	9
T-8	Concordia-St. Paul	785	22-7	6
T-8	Minnesota Duluth	785	23-5	5
10	Central Missouri	687	21-8	10

BOOS CLUES: In his 18th 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, 25 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 466-88 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 nine 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).

2018 ACCOLADES: Senior setter Emily Balts and alumna right side hitter Sarah Kelly attained AVCA All American honors, continuing the tradition of excellence of having at least one player earn All-American honors for the last 17 years. This was Kelly's second consecutive first team nod and Balts was the 25th different player in program history to be bestowed an All-American. The pair also garnered NSIC All-Tournament team distinctions. In addition, junior outside hitter Kate Berg and alumna outside hitter Makenzie Morgen nabbed All-NSIC first team selections, while senior right side hitter Hanna Meyer and senior middle blocker Abby Thor each obtained All-NSIC second team distinction. Two Bulldogs (Balts and Thor) garnered NSIC weekly awards.

UP NEXT: If the Bulldogs win the NSIC tournament, they get an automatic bid into the NCAA Regional Tournament. If UMD does not win the NSIC Tournament, the Bulldogs will have to wait to see if they will gain entry into the NCAA Tournament by selection. Their opponent will be based on a seeding process.