THE OPENING SERVE: The No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth will start the conference portion of their schedule, taking on No. 25 Upper Iowa on Sept. 20 and Winona State on Sept. 21.

MILITARY WEEKEND: The Bulldogs will be celebrating our fallen troops and recognizing those who serve and protect our nation. All military personal will get free tickets.

A GRAND CEREMONY: The Bulldogs will be holding a short ceremony on Friday, Sept. 20 for senior defensive specialist Keena Seiffert, who collected her 1,000th dig on Friday, Sept. 13 against South Dakota School of Mines. Seiffert currently sits at 1,045 digs in her career. She's averaging 4.84 digs per set this year, good for fifth in the NSIC.

SCOUTING REPORT ON  NO. 25 UPPER IOWA: The Peacocks have started the year off hot, going 8-0. They have only dropped three sets to being the year, not losing a single set in last weekends UW-Parkside Invite. Aaron Nelson has returned to head the Peacocks through his ninth season.
Anna Winter has started off the year well, averaging 4.67 kills per set (good for sixth in the nation), as well as a .326 clip though 27 sets this year. Haley Weepie has 4.78 digs per set to begin the year.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE: The Warriors have started off strong this season, going 8-0 to begin the year. As a team, they have managed a 13.1 kills per set over all eight matches. Joe Getzin is entering his sixth season as the head volleyball coach at Winona State in 2019.
Madison Larson currently has 68 kills, good for an average of 2.96 k/s, and has 59 digs, averaging 2.57 per set. Madison Rizner has 40 blocks on the year, giving her an average of 1.29 per set. She has accumulated 54 kills along the way, good for 1.96 per set.

THE SERIES: UMD has not lost a meeting to Upper Iowa. The Peacocks joined the NSIC in 2006 after being a provisional (changing from Division III to Division II) in 2004 and 2005. The Bulldogs have an all-time record of 16-0 against the Peacocks, winning both match-ups last season.
UMD has a bit more experience against the Warriors, going 77-2 against Winona State, beating them in three sets last season.

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

UMD    7-1    2    6
UIU      8-0    9    25
WSU    8-0    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: 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 came away from St. Cloud, Minn. with a weekend sweep over their opponents. They took on (at the time) No. 21 Michigan Tech, South Dakota School of Mines, No. 14 Wheeling Jesuit and Lake Superior State.

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.

SETTING THE BAR: The Bulldogs currently average 14.16 assists per set, sitting at fourth in the nation. Senior setter Emily Balts, the quarterback of the Bulldog offense, averages 12.21 assists per set in her career, leading the nation across all divisions among active players. She notched the Setter of the Week award this past week, the first time since a run of four consecutive weeks last season in the NSIC, a believe-to-be league first. Balts was the first to three-peat that honor since 2014 when Bulldog almuna Ashley Hinsch rolled off three straight accolades. She also was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American second team. Emily Balts moved up to sixth all-time among set assists, and currently has 4,480. Rhaya Tomberlin is fifth on the UMD charts with 5,406.

WELL STRUCK IN THE NATION: UMD finished the St. Cloud State Invite with a .288 hitting percentage and currently boasts a .287 hitting percentage overall. Senior middle blocker Abby Thor is a big part of that. Thor clips at a .401, good for 23 in the nation, and fourth in the NSIC. The Bulldogs are also third in the nation in kills per set, averaging 15.52. Junior outside hitter Kate Berg has a helping hand in that, averaging 4.36 kills per set (12 in the nation, third in the NSIC) with 109.

SURVEY SAYS: For roughly 17-plus years, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association. UMD receives the No. 4 ranking after tuning in a 4-0 performance at the St. Cloud State Invite and improving to 7-1 on the season. The Bulldogs have been in every poll since it first appeared on Sept. 10, 2002, a stretch of 235 consecutive weeks. No other team has a longer active streak.

Rank    School                                   Points    Record    Previous
1          Cal State - S.B. (35)                1137       7-0              2
2          W. Washington (6)                   1092      8-0               3
3          Washburn (3)                           1062      8-0               4
4          Minnesota Duluth (1)                955       7-1               6
5          Lewis                                        891       7-1               5
T-6       Concordia - St. Paul                 870       6-2              10
T-6       Nebraska-Kearney                   870       8-0               8
8          Northern State                          780       7-1               7
9          Southwest Minnesota State     744       6-2               15
10        Ferris State                              640       6-2               11

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 consectutive 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: The Bulldogs will hit the road to take on No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul on Sept. 27, then travel to Mankato, Minn. to take on the Mavericks on Sept. 28.