THE OPENING SERVE:

The No. 16 University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs will begin NSIC play this weekend. The Bulldogs will host No. 5 Wayne State Wildcats on Friday September 17th. They will then host the Augustana Vikings on Saturday September 18th. To end the Bulldogs three-game homestand, the Bulldogs will host Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday September 21st.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WAYNE STATE:

Wayne State comes into this matchup having gone 3-1 in the Colorado Premier Tournament. The Wildcats faced 4 top 25 teams (Lewis (Ill.), Western Washington, Angelo State, Metro State Denver). Due to the three top 25 wins, the Wildcats jumped into the No. 5 ranking in the AVCA poll. The Wildcats are lead by Sophomore Kelsie Cada, who is averaging 3.26 kills per set. The Wildcats are also led by Sophomore Rachel Walker who is averaging 10.3 assists per set. Head Coach Scott Kneifl is in his 17th season with the Wildcats. Kniefl has built the Wildcats into a top national program as the Wildcats have ended the year ranked in the top 25 in 11 of the last 14 years.

 SCOUTING REPORT ON AUGUSTANA: 

Augustana comes into this matchup after going 3-1 in the Northern State Volleyball Classic. The Vikings faced two other NSIC teams (MSU Moorhead and Northern State) defeating MSU Moorhead but falling to Northern State. The Vikings are led by Junior Maddy Guetter, who is averaging 3.08 kills per set. Head Coach Jen Jacobs enters her fifth season with the Vikings. Coach Jacobs has seen some success with the Vikings posting a .588 winning percentage.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINNESOTA CROOKSTON:

The Golden Eagles come into this game after defeating Minot State on September 14th. The Golden Eagles dropped all four games of the Steel City Showcase, only winning three sets. The Golden Eagles will face Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State before playing the Bulldogs on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles are led by Redshirt Senior Lauren Wallace who is averaging 2.94 kills per set. Head Coach Sarah Morgan is entering her fifth season with the Golden Eagles.
 

THE SERIES:

UMD has an impressive 30-8 record against Wayne State. The teams last met on October 18, 2019 when the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats in five sets 3-2.

The Bulldogs have amassed a 35-10 record agaisnt Augustana. The teams last faced off on November 22, 2019 where the Bulldogs won 3-1.

The Bulldogs have yet to lose to Minnesota Crookston, tallying a 27-0 record against the Golden Eagles. The last time teams faced off, the Bulldogs won 3-0 on November 2, 2019.

WELL SERVED:

The Bulldogs and Wildcats come into the top 25 matchup as two of the best service teams in the conference. The Bulldogs come into conference play as the top team in terms of service aces (62) and have allowed the 2nd fewest opponent aces (27). The Wildcats come into the matchup averaging the fourth most service aces per set (1.74) and have allowed the least amount of opponent service aces (24).

LEADING THE PACK:

Coming into NSIC play, UMD Sophomore Outside Hitter Cianna Selbitschka leads the NSIC in  total kills (128), Service Aces (18), Points (153), and Points per Set (5.28).

THE BROADCAST:

You can find a live stream of all games this weekend here; https://nsicnetwork.com/umdbulldogs/

Anyone interested in live stats, you will be able to find the live stats for each match here:  https://umdbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary

Each of these games will be broadcasted on My9 television as well.

Berg Joins Exclusive Company:

5th Year Kate Berg earned her 1,000th dig during the Bulldogs match against Quincy. With 1,000 digs, Berg becomes just the 10th Bulldog to earn 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs (1st since Assistant Coach Kate Lange in 2013).

500 CLUB:

Coming into the season, Head Coach Jim Boos was just 9 wins away from 500 career wins at UMD. After the Keweenaw Classic and Hampton Inn Invitational, Coach Boos heads into NSIC play just two wins shy of 500 career wins.
 

UP NEXT:
The Bulldogs will continue conference play as they travel to Sioux Falls on September 24th and will also be on the road against Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday September 25th.