THE OPENING SERVE:
The #14 UMD volleyball team returned home from Indianapolis after yet another early-season tournament just to turn around and get back on the bus once again this coming weekend. The team's new destination will be North Dakota for a two-game stint, during which they'll see Minot State on Friday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m. and Mary on Saturday, September 10th at 2:00 p.m. 

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINOT STATE:
Minot State is a team in desperate need of a spark. First-year head coach Alex Lehocky has maneuvered the team through an 0-7 record in non-conference play. Five of those seven losses came in a three-set sweep for the opposing team. The Beavers hold no national claims to fame; they don't rank in the top 200 in any individual statistic. It's safe to say that little has gone right for the squad thus far this season. Ready-or-not, they'll look to try to break this spell against a Bulldog squad that's on the exact opposite end of the food chain.

It's hard to say that this is necessarily a "trap match" for the Bulldogs. Ordinarily, that title is designated for matches against teams with spotty records that still manage to do something that should be feared by opponents. Maybe their record looks worse than it should be because of injuries. Maybe they've gotten hot in recent memory. Maybe they're just a matchup nightmare. Minot State doesn't really fit any of this criteria. Even still, the Bulldogs would be wise to treat the Beavers with the same level of respect as any opponent. Matches are not won or lost by who has the better record going into them- in fact, the moment both teams hit the court, their records become totally irrelevant. Every single match is essentially its own little vacuum; one of these days, Minot State is bond to hit a moment where they're a winning team. That day could easily be Friday. 

If the Beavers are going to turn their luck around, it'll likely be their young guns that lead that charge. Sophomore Alexandra Koontz leads the team in kills with 49 (2.04 K/S) while freshman Jaina Macaulay is the team's best setter with 119 assists (5.17 A/S). Playing the role of backstop? Even more underclassmen. Sophomore Jennah Pahlen has a team-leading 15 blocks (0.65 B/S), and freshman Viktoria Sedova leads the way in digs with 52 (2.36 D/S). It's been trial by fire for this youth movement so far, but this is still good experience for a group that is already finding ways to lead the pack amidst a frustrating start to the year. 

Truth-be-told, it's been a frustrating decade for the Beavers. They haven't yet had a winning season since they joined the NSIC. Since entering the conference in the 2012-2013 season, the Beavers have posted a 59-208 overall record. Lehocky is their fourth coach in this time span. Finding a way to topple a ranked opponent with the odds stacked all the way against them and nothing to lose would be a staple win for this Minot State team, for this young coach, for this even younger nucleus of players. It'd be the kind of win that could give this program a shove in the right direction. It'll be the job of the Bulldogs to prevent all of this from happening- at least for one more day. 

SCOUTING REPORT ON MARY:
At first glance, Mary looks nearly identical to Minot State. The 1-7 Marauders are led by a second-year head coach in Abby Pollart who has gone 7-30 over her tenure with the team. Mary is a program that is 103-357 since the 2007-2008 season. The second verse is the same as the first: little is going right with this team.

The word was "little," not nothing. Within Mary's arsenal are two special abilities that make the team a threat in spite of their record. The Marauders are not a very proficient offensive in terms of actual kills (179th in team kills with 298 and 215th in kills per set with 10.28 K/S). One thing about the Marauders, though, is that they're going to attack. Then they're going to attack again. And again. And Again. Maybe they won't capitalize every time, or even most of the time, but lord, will they attack. The Marauders are 31st in the nation in total attacks with 1,185 and 3rd nationally with an impressive 40.86 attacks per set. this never-ending offense is led by senior Nehkyah Ellis, who tops the team in kills with 72 (2.48 K/S). Sophomore Kameron Selvig leads the way with 174 assists (6 A/S). 

Mary's second talent is found in its defense. 1-7 this and 1-7 that- the numbers show that the Marauders are an incredibly tough out. More specifically, this team is a digging machine. The Marauders are 16th in total team digs with 566 and 3rd in the nation (again) in digs per set with 19.52. Treat this team like a nobody at your own peril. Take an early lead and ease your foot off of the gas if you dare. The Marauders simply refuse to go away quietly.

The Marauders' defensive life support is overseen by sophomore Kaia Sueker and a  familiar face in Ellis, who carries major duties for her squad. Sueker has a team-leading 147 digs (5.07 D/S) so far this season, while Ellis sits in second with 116 (4 D/S). Like blocks? The Marauders have a lot of those, too. Sophomore Alexandria Harper may lead the team in blocks with 21 (0.75 B/S), but she's got a pair of players right behind her in junior Reyna Isenbart and sophomore Maddie Cooper, who each have 20 blocks (0.69 B/S) of their own.

Especially in the case of the Bulldogs, a team that survives primarily through offensive firepower, everything about this should be concerning. Should the Marauders be able to survive a strong offensive outing from UMD through sheer digging (and blocking) will, their eagerness to fire shots into the abyss for as long as it takes could spell trouble for a Bulldog defense that is still trying to come into its own. 

If you're playing along at home, that means the Marauders check some boxes on the "trap match" bingo board. Not to say that UMD shouldn't give the Beavers their due respect, but this matchup against Mary is one the Bulldogs would be wise to sink some extra practice time into. Everything about this match reeks of potential upset, an unlikely team that should've been viewed as a worthy opponent all along derailing a magical run because they can. The Bulldogs would love for this matchup to be lost to history as nothing more than an early conference victory against a team with a bad record. If they win on Saturday, they'll accomplish just that.

THE SERIES:
UMD has established a trend of dominance against both of this weekend's opponents. The Bulldogs are 12-0 against Minot State all-time, their last meeting being a 3-0 UMD victory in 2021. The Bulldogs have a longer, even more impressive track record against the Marauders, owning an 18-0 record against them overall. The last UMD-Mary matchup was in 2019, a 3-0 win for the Bulldogs. 

LAST TIME OUT:
The Bulldogs blazed through yet another tournament weekend last week, going 4-0 in the UIndy Invitational. Friday saw UMD snag a 3-2 comeback victory against Missouri-St.Louis before handling Ashland for the second time this season in a 3-1 win. On Saturday, the Bulldogs took a competitive 3-1 match against Grand Valley State, then finished things off a with 3-0 victory against tournament-host UIndy.

THE BROADCAST:
Below are the links for the live broadcasts of each of this weekend's matchups:

vs Minot State: https://nsicnetwork.com/umdbulldogs/?B=423966
vs Mary: https://nsicnetwork.com/umdbulldogs/?B=401399

Click the links below to follow live stats for each match:

vs Minot State: https://msubeavers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
vs Mary: https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary

DIG WATCH 2022 CONTINUES:
Redshirt Senior Madison Gordon sits at 488 digs, just 12 digs shy of 500 for her career, after a 16-dig weekend at the UIndy Invitational. 

UP NEXT: 
After ten consecutive games on the road, the Bulldogs will finally play a pair of games at Romano Gymnasium next weekend. They'll welcome Minnesota State Moorhead on Friday, September 16 at 6:00 p.m. before ending their first weekend back home with a match against Northern State on Saturday, September 17th at 2:00 p.m.