THE OPENING SERVE:

The UMD Bulldogs will travel for the last weekend of the regular season. They will travel to face off against Augustana on Friday November 12th at 6:00 PM. They will then go to face No. 15 Wayne State on Saturday at 1:00 PM.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WAYNE STATE COLLEGE:

This will be the second time these teams face off this season. The first matchup came on September 17 when Wayne State would win 3-1. Since that match, Wayne State has gone 13-5 while UMD has gone 11-7. The Wildcats come into the match having won two of the last three games  against Bemidji St. and Minnesota-Crookston.

The Wildcats are led by Kelsie Cada who has 277 kills this season and 283 digs. Rachel Walker leads the Wildcats with 912 assists this season. Head Coach Scott Kneifl is in his 17th season with the program.

SCOUTING REPORT ON AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY:

This will also be the second matchup between the Vikings and the Bulldogs. In the first matchup, Augustana was able to pull out a win 3-1. The Vikings come into the matchup having won their last three games including wins over Southwest Minnesota State, Minnesota-Crookston, and Bemidji State.

Augustana are led by Maddy Guetter who has 332 kills. Avery  Thorson leads the team with 988 assists. Head Coach Jennifer Jacobs is in his fifth season with the program.

THE SERIES:

UMD currently holds a 67-19 record against Southwest Minnesota State. The last matchup came this season as the Mustangs would win the match 3-2.

The Bulldogs come into the matchup with a 13-2 record against Sioux Falls. The last matchup was earlier this season as the Bulldogs won 3-2.

LEADING THE PACK:

Minnesota Duluth Sophomore Outside Hitter Cianna Selbitschka is currently 3rd in the conference in total kills (372) and kills per set (4.00).

Bulldogs Sophomore Grace Daak currently leads the conference with 119  total blocks and is 2nd with 1.20 blocks per set.

Senior Sydney Lanoue is currently second in the conference in total digs (436) and second in digs per set (4.69). Lanoue is also 12th in total service aces (30).

Redshirt Junior Madison Gordon currently has the sixth most assists (973) and seventh in assists per set (9.83).

Down the stretch:

With the regular season winding to the end, the Bulldogs would see themselves on the outside looking in to make it to the NSIC Tournament. To try to get back into the picture, the Bulldogs have won 8 of the last 10 matches to get themselves back into the playoff picture. The Bulldogs still have work to do but control their own destiny as they play two teams that are currently above them in the NSIC standings.

THE BROADCAST:

You can find a live stream for both games here: https://nsicnetwork.com/umdbulldogs/

You can find the live stats for the  matches here:

https://goaugie.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary

https://wscwildcats.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary

LAST TIME OUT:

The Bulldogs hosted No. 17 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The Bulldogs would lose 3-0 to the Mustangs before defeating Sioux Falls 3-0 on Senior Day.