Coming into the 2021 volleyball season, the University of Minnesota Duluth is expected to be amongst the best in the Northern Sun Conference. The Bulldogs have been voted the No. 2 team in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll; the league office announced on Monday morning.
UMD received a total of 194 votes to earn the second-best ranking in the conference. The poll results come as no surprise to the Bulldogs. During their last full season in 2019, UMD posted an overall record of 25-7, while notching an impressive 16-4 record in NSIC play. Additionally, the Bulldogs season included a 12-match win-streak, as well as a birth in the NCAA Division 2 National Tournament.
In 2021, the Bulldogs will look to senior
Kate Berg to get them over the top. During the 2019 season, Berg led the team in kills with 472, while finishing second on the team in digs with 342. Berg has also received First Team All-NSIC honors twice over her career in Duluth.
The 2021 NSIC Volleyball season will begin with non-conference matches in early September while the NSIC schedule begins Friday, September 17. The 2021 NSIC regular season champion will be determined by the 20-game conference schedule. The top eight teams will play in the single elimination NSIC Volleyball Tournament on November 18-20. All three rounds of the tournament will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
UMD will return to action on Thursday, September 2 as they travel to Houghton, MI for a four-match tournament at Michigan Tech. The Bulldogs will play their first home game on Friday, September 17 against Wayne State College.
Points
1. Concordia-St. Paul (11)
217
2. Minnesota Duluth 194
3. St. Cloud State (3) 192
4. Northern State (1) 174
5. Winona State (1) 169
Wayne State 169
7. SMSU 147
8. Augustana 137
9. Minnesota State 109
Upper Iowa 109
11. Sioux Falls 82
12. MSU Moorhead 69
13. Bemidji State 60
14. Minnesota Crookston 40
15. Minot State 32
16. University of Mary 20
Full NSIC Release: Click Here
