DULUTH, Minn. – The seventh-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team played in front of the home crowd for the first time on Thursday and swept Michigan Tech University on the first day of the Up North Tournament at Romano Gym.
 
How it Happened
UMD got things rolling early by scoring six of the first seven points thanks to kills from three different Bulldogs and three Huskie errors. Michigan Tech (1-5) would battle back with a 9-1 run later in the set to take a 14-11 lead.
 
Back-to-back Payton Addink kills culminated five consecutive points by Minnesota Duluth to regain the advantage at 17-15. Each team had the edge late in the set with Huskies having a set point 24-23 and then the Bulldogs with a set point of 25-24. With the score tied at 25-25, a Huskies' serve went long, followed by a Paige Decker service ace to give UMD the set 27-25. Grace Daak and Addink each had four kills in the set.
 
Set two saw both squads not lead by more than one point for the first 24 points. With UMD trailing 12-11 a Decker kill, followed by a Michigan Tech error kicked off a run, which had the Bulldogs record 14 of the next 16 points to take the second set going away 25-14. The only Huskie points during that span were a pair of Minnesota Duluth service errors. UMD had a hitting percentage of .361 in the set.
 
Michigan Tech would not lay down in the third set taking a lead early and leading 9-6 as the set progressed. Then points by Hope Schjenken and Grade Daak and a Madison Reed ace tied the set at 9-9. The Huskies regained the advantage and led 17-14 before six consecutive UMD points made it 20-17 Bulldogs.
 
Michigan Tech led again at 23-22 before a Madison Gordon setter dump and two straight attack errors by the Huskies gave the Bulldogs the set and the match at 25-23.
 
Top Performers
Cianna Selbitschka, Samantha Paulsen and Daak all had eight kills to lead UMD. Gordon finished with 35 set assists and Kaylyn Madison led the team with 18 digs. Gordon and Schjenken each added four blocks and Reed had three service aces.
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs (5-0) are back at it tomorrow (Friday) when they face No. 23 Central Washington University at 7:30 p.m. at the Romano Gymnasium. The Up North Tournament resumes tomorrow with No. 5 St. Cloud State facing Southern New Hampshire University at 9:30 a.m.