THE OPENING SERVE: The No. 20 University of Minnesota Duluth continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action with a pair of road matches this weekend. The Bulldogs face off against No. 6 Wayne State College for another highly anticipated top 20 matchup Friday night at the Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb., starting at 6:00 p.m. The following day, UMD heads to Sioux Falls, S.D., inside the Elmen Center to take on Augustana University at 2:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WAYNE STATE: The Wildcats are 13-2 overall and 7-0 in the NSIC this season. They are the sixth-ranked team in the AVCA poll coming off a four-set win at Winona State on Tuesday. Wayne State has won both of its home matches this season and carries an eight-match winning streak into the weekend. The Wildcats rank first in the NSIC in aces/set (1.98), and hitting percentage (.293). Their hitting percentage also ranks fifth in the nation. They are also fourth in the conference in kills/set (13.46) and blocks/set (2.28). 

Maggie Brahmer leads the NSIC and is third in the country in hitting (.462 average). Taya Baller ranks second in kills/set (3.72) and blocks/set (1.20). Brooklyn Kusler is currently second in the NSIC in aces/set (0.50), Molly Romano is third in the league in assists/set (11.14) and Brooke Peltz is fourth in digs/set (5.10).

SCOUTING REPORT ON AUGUSTANA: The Vikings are 9-7 overall and 5-2 in the NSIC. They lost in four sets to No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State on Tuesday  at home. The loss snapped a two-match winning streak as they fell to 0-3 against ranked opponents. They also sport a sub-.500 winning percentage at home (3-4). The Vikings rank in the top-half of the NSIC in blocks/set (third; 2.48),digs/set (fifth; 16.80), and aces/set (seventh; 1.68). 

Reagan Jansen and Maya Wente are the top two hitters. Jansen (3.00 kills/set) ranks eighth in the NSIC and Wente (2.88) is 17th. Wente holds the sixth best hitting percentage in the NSIC (.354). Sydney Tims is fifth in the conference in blocks/set (1.15), while Lucy Bartee holds the sixth spot among setters in the NSIC in assists/set (10.20). Gabby Jones is 13th in the league in digs/set (3.56).


THE SERIES: Here is how UMD has fared against its opponents all time in program history dating back to 1976.
 

TEAM	ALL-TIME RECORD	LAST MEETING
vs. Wayne State	30-13	L, 0-3 (Nov. 30, 2023)
vs. Augustana	36-13	2-3 (Sep. 29, 2023)

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents stack up with their records this season and their ranking in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
 

TEAM	RECORD	AVCA RANKING
UMD	8-6	20th
WSC	13-2	6th
Augie	9-7	NR

LAST SIDE OUT: UMD took another hard loss on its home floor on Tuesday night, falling to Minnesota State in straight sets for its fourth straight defeat. The Bulldogs suffered compounding errors as they rattled off 38 errors including six service errors in the first set and 11 attack errors in the final frame. 

Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka racked up 12 kills to pace the Bulldogs. She was one dig shy of gathering her eighth double-double. Graduate libero Kaylyn Madison led all players with 29 digs, one short of tying her season high. Senior defensive specialist Kiley Nihart posted eight digs, which was the most recorded by the Medford, Minn., native this season. Sophomore middle blocker Kylie Broten amassed- four of the club's seven blocks on the night. 

The Bulldogs hit .154 for the match, the lowest total in a three-set match this season. They were also held without an ace for the first time all season. UMD did register 66 digs and 143 attacks, both season-highs for a three-set match.

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: The longevity of success has been long known, winning nearly 76 percent of matches since the inception of the program in 1976. The four straight losses are the most since the 2009 season when UMD fell to four straight ranked opponents. That stretch is tied for the longest streak in the 23-year tenure of head coach Jim Boos. In fact, the last time the volleyball program dropped five or more consecutive matches dates back to the 1993 season when the Bulldogs took losses in six straight.

IT'S BEEN HOW LONG?: This weekend marks the first road trip UMD is taking to Wayne State and Augustana since the 2021 season. 

WILDCAT WOES: The Wildcats have had the Bulldogs' number as of late. Wayne State has won the last five meetings including ending the Bulldogs' season last year in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to that, UMD won the previous four engagements with their most recent victory coming at Wayne State in 2019, battling back from a 2-1 deficit to take down the Wildcats in five.

VIKING VICTIMS: The same can be said for the Vikings as well. UMD has been on the losing side three of the last four meetings. The last road victory against Augustana happened on Oct. 19, 2019, a three-set win. 

BOOS' CLUES: The long-standing bench boss patrolling the UMD sidelines returns for his 23rd year. Jim Boos has placed himself into the upper echelon as the all-time winningest coach for the volleyball program, notching 562 victories along the way. The 2004 AVCA National Coach of the Year has made 19 NCAA Tournament appearances and is 13th among active Division II coaches in terms of wins. Boos is seventh among active Division II coaches with the most wins at one institution. Only three other active Division II coaches have a higher winning percentage (.818) with at least five accrued seasons. 

NATIONAL SURVEY SAYS!: The American Volleyball Coaches Association had the Bulldogs 20th in the newest edition of the Division II poll, dropping five spots after finishing the week 0-3 including a pair of losses to top 10 ranked opponents. Tampa University remains No. 1 for the fifth week in a row with 1,167 points and 43 out of the possible 47 first-place votes. Metropolitan State University Denver (1) and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (3) each received first-place votes for the second consecutive week. 

ON TAP: The Bulldogs return to Romano Gymnasium on Thursday, Oct. 17 to square off against intrastate rival fifth-ranked St. Cloud State University at 6:00 p.m. The Huskies got the best in their previous matchup winning in three sets in St. Cloud, Minn., in a non-conference slate earlier this season.