The University of Minnesota Duluth fell short Tuesday night at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. The No. 15 Bulldogs dropped its last non-conference tune up of the season, succumbing to No. 8 St. Cloud State University in three sets (9-25, 21-25, 25-27).

With the lone loss of the non-conference slate, UMD dipped to 8-3 overall while the Huskies improved to 10-2 pushing their winning streak to six straight.

SCSU used its fourth-ranked offense and the serving game to control the contest. The Huskies outhit the Bulldogs .280-.163 for the match and won the service battle 9-2.

Kenzie Foley had a match-high 18 kills for SCSU while UMD notched 32 kills with graduate middle blocker Ellie Dammann pacing the club with seven kills. Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka piled up a team-high eight digs. Freshman setter Ava Jones, who ranks eighth among freshman in aces/set, compiled both of the Bulldog aces to go along with 12 assists. Senior setter Maddi Kealy collected 15 assists to lead the team. Graduate libero Kaylyn Madison was a perfect 22-for-22 in serve receive, the lone Bulldog to pass 100 percent on the night. The Eagan, Minn., native only mustered five digs in the contest after climbing into the top 10 in career digs. 

The Huskies raced out to a fast start taking a 6-1 lead off a couple of aces in the opening frame. The Huskies showcased its effectiveness early and UMD struggled to find its footing in hostile territory. The Bulldogs hit .136 in the first set and allowed five aces as the Huskies notched 17 kills with a .438 hitting percentage.

UMD returned the favor of its own fast start in the second knocking off the rust from the opening set. The Bulldogs got out to a 5-1 advantage with kills from Dammann, senior outside hitter Payton Addink, and senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen. However, the service game remained a factor as the Huskies crawled back with four more aces and eventually tied the set at 16-all. UMD had control late but SCSU ended the second on a 5-0 run after calling a timeout to stop the bleeding. 

The Bulldogs had a golden opportunity to extend the match. In the third set, SCSU posted seven hitting errors, hit a set-low .167, and amassed four errors in serve-receive. It still was not enough to hold the Huskies, who came into tonight having gone winless in the last three matchups with its intrastate dog rival. Holding a pair of set points, SCSU was able to fend off the set-clinching points and rallied off the final three points of the match to seal the victory.

UMD will return to action this weekend for a home series at Romano Gymnasium with No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State University first on the docket starting Friday at 6:00 p.m.