The UMD volleyball team cashed in a 4-0 performance in the UIndy Invitational this weekend for the #14 spot in this week's AVCA Poll. Having been ranked #21 in last week's poll, the Bulldogs jumped up seven spots in seven days.

Leading the pack in the climb up this seven-step stairway was the Bulldog offense. An offensive unit that was already impressive heading into the weekend was red-hot in Indianapolis. What was most important about their performance was that a single player was never tasked with carrying the attack on their own. Within every match from this past weekend, a multi-headed scoring monster could be found. Against Missouri-St. Louis, five different players registered double-digit kills (Sydney Lanoue 18 K, Cianna Selbitschka 17 K, Samantha Paulsen 14 K, Grace Daak 13 K, Hope Schjenken 11 K). If that was exhausting to read, imagine how exhausting it must have been for the Tritons' defense to face. The rest of the Bulldogs' tournament opponents didn't fare much better. Against Ashland, the same set of five players put on an encore (Daak 15 K, Lanoue 13 K, Paulsen, Schjenken and Selbitschka 11 K). Saturday's opening match against Grand Valley State saw three Bulldogs eclipse 10 kills (Lanoue 15 K, Selbitschka and Paulsen 11 K). The Bulldogs re-formed their four horsewomen outfit in the final match of the weekend against UIndy (Lanoue 13 K, Paulsen, Schjenken and Selbitschka 10 K). 

Predictably, this kind of weekend led to some pretty eye-popping tournament scoring totals for the Bulldogs. Lanoue led the show with 59 total kills, the third most of any player across the UIndy Invitational. Selbitschka placed second in the Bulldog barrage with 49. Rounding out the top four were Paulsen and Schjenken, who had 46 and 40 kills respectively. Something else of note with the performances of Paulsen and Schjenken is that they each hit those totals with hyper efficiency. Paulsen left Indianapolis with a .350 hitting percentage for the weekend. She led the UIndy Invitational in this stat across all players with at least 10 sets played. Schjenken wasn't far behind with a .337 hitting percentage of her own. 

In the middle of it all was Madison Gordon, who picked up right where she'd left off last weekend with yet another four-game span of offensive facilitation expertise. Gordon amassed 179 assists in the UIndy Invitational, 32 more than the next best assist-getter. Her rate of 11.19 assists per set also led the tournament.

All of the stats above might've been even higher if not for Selbitschka, who took matters into her own hands and ended sets with a service ace more than almost any other player in the UIndy Invitational. Selbitschka tallied nine aces in four games, tied for second among players in the tournament. When accounting for players that played in at least 10 sets, Selbitschka's rate of 0.56 aces per set was also tied for second in the tournament. 

In the midst of this offensive firepower, the Bulldogs still weren't slouches defensively. There, it was a two-woman show that was leading the party- and leading it well. Kaylyn Madison led all but one of the weekend's matches in digs. She ended the trip with 68, tied for third most of any player in the tournament. Her 4.25 digs per set was the fifth best rate across all tournament players. Daak combined some impressive offensive performances over the weekend with what was arguably an even more impressive stretch of defensive efforts. Daak racked up 21 total blocks across just four matches (1.31 B/S), leading the tournament in both stats in the process. 

While the #14 ranking might matter above all others, several of the Bulldogs' national statistical rankings help to inform it. Given the kind of weekend the group just had, none of them are major surprises. The Bulldogs now sit at fourth in the nation in kills per set with 14.90. That's a four-ranking jump from where they were in this category this time last week. Sitting at fifth in total team kills with 462, the Bulldogs once again cut their distance from the top ranking in half over this week, having been at #10 in this category a week ago. 

Right at the top of this talented offensive crop is Lanoue. Her 102 total kills across eight matches is good for #45 in the nation in that statistic. Though she is a leader, she is a humble one.

"Of course, offense is a big part of what makes a team successful, so to have a role in that is very rewarding," Lanoue said.  "However, I believe all of my teammates are playing a key role in the strides we're making this season."

Given just how consistently the Bulldogs were able to roll out 3+ double-digit scorers this weekend, it's hard to argue with her.

Another player with her fingerprints all over these aforementioned strides is Gordon, a notable offensive distributor not only for her team but across the nation. Gordon clocks in at sixth nationally in both total assists (353) and assists per set (11.39). 

And don't forget about Selbitschka, who is having one of the best service seasons in the country. She currently sits at seventh in total service aces with 22 and cracks the top 25 in aces per set with 0.71.

A national-ranking-number-salad like the one the Bulldogs have made for themselves is nothing to shake a stick at. The players are well aware of their creation and the hard work it took to craft it. Just ask Gordon. Of the #14 ranking specifically, she had this to say:

"Being back in the top 25 is an amazing feeling. It's super encouraging to know that all of our time in the gym is starting to pay off," Gordon said. "Our COVID year was a challenge, but my team has used that to motivate ourselves and get back to where we want to be."

Lanoue shared a similar sentiment of reflecting on a difficult past while looking forward to a brighter future- one with a few more steps climbed.

"It feels great to finally be back in the rankings, especially after last season," Lanoue said. "It's awesome to see that our hard work is being noticed at the national level as it helps build our confidence and motivates us to keep climbing."