THE OPENING SERVE: The No. 25 University of Minnesota Duluth will attempt to lock up its first season series sweep of the season as it battles Bemidji State University in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest. Opening serve is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday at Romano Gymnasium.

SCOUTING REPORT ON BEMIDJI STATE: The Beavers are 5-11 overall and 0-8 in the NSIC. They are riding a nine-match losing streak and have lost four in a row on the road coming into Tuesday's contest. Bemidji State is amongst a four match roadstand that included losing to St. Cloud State in straight sets last Saturday. Versus NSIC clubs, the Beavers are 12th in hitting percentage (.164), 13th in kills/set (10.97), 14th assists/set (9.53), seventh in aces/set (1.69), last in digs/set (13.55) and 14th in blocks/set (1.62).

Ashley Crowl leads the Beaver attack averaging 3.02 kills/set. Rylie Bjerklie is the other main attacker averaging 2.42 kills/set and is hitting a modest .268. Emily Wade directs the offense at a 8.13 assists/set clip. Crowl also leads BSU in the service game with 0.53 aces/set. Four Beavers carry at least a 2.00 digs/set with Jada Wlodarczyk racking up 3.66 digs/set. Zayda Priebe is the net leader with 0.75 blocks/set.-

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

TEAM	ALL-TIME RECORD	LAST MEETING
vs. Bemidji State	99-3	W, 3-2 (Sept. 26, 2024)

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

TEAM	RECORD	NSIC	AVCA RANKING
UMD	10-8	3-7 (10th)	25th
BSU	5-11	0-8 (14th)	NR

LAST SIDE OUT: UMD dropped its match to then-No. 5 St. Cloud State University at home on Thursday but got right back on the saddle and rebounded with a straight-set win over the University of Minnesota Crookston on the road on Saturday. 

The Bulldogs were swept by the Huskies, who captured a clean sweep of the season series for the first time in 28 seasons, dating back to 1995 when SCSU won all four matches including three of those in five sets. UMD produced season-lows in kills (29), digs (30) and blocks (4).

The Golden Eagles, who ended their 10-match losing streak with a victory over Bemidji State, suffered the fate of three other teams this season falling victim to a sweep at the hands of the Bulldogs. Minnesota Crookston hit .051 -- the second lowest hitting output allowed by the UMD defense. Senior right side hitter Samanatha Paulsen carried the way with a match-high 11 kills while graduate libero Kaylyn Madison notched a match-high 18 digs. A pair of Bulldogs -- freshman outside hitter Xada Johnson and senior outside hitter Payton Addink -- hit new season-high totals. Johnson established new career highs with seven kills and three blocks and Addink compiled 11 digs and three blocks, also tying her career high.

I'M YELLIN' TIMBER: The Beavers have lost the last 37 head-to-head showdowns to the Bulldogs. UMD has won a grand total of 99 times, the most over any one opponent in school history. The last time UMD dropped a match to Bemidji State was back on Sept. 19, 1998 in a five-set setback.

GOING THE DISTANCE: The Bulldogs have played in five five-set matches this season, going 3-2 in such matches thus far. UMD has played to a fifth set in now seven of the last nine seasons. The last time UMD played in a sixth five-setter was in 2022.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: One week after freshman outside hitter Xada Johnson made her collegiate debut, freshman middle blocker Elyse Karrels was the third freshman to make her debut. Karrels played all three sets against Minnesota Crookston and registered three kills, three digs and a team-high six blocks. Her six blocks on Saturday was the most by a Bulldog in a three-set match this season and one shy of tying the season high total for a single match this season. 

KILLING IN THE NAME: UMD thumped home 22 kills in the second set on Friday night against Wayne State. It was the most kills in a single set this season for UMD and the only time UMD has posted 20-plus kills in a single set this season.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka is climbing the charts among active leaders in the Division II landscape. For her career, Selbitschka is 21st in kills (1,288), and 63rd in digs (1,203).

(SPEAKING OF) CLIMBING THE RANKS: Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka became the 23rd Bulldog to register 1,000 career kills on Oct. 25, 2023. Selbitschka paced UMD in the kills category for a second consecutive season and is racing up the charts for most kills in program history. The North Branch, Minn., native currently sits 11th with 1,288 kills. This season, she has passed April Hansen (2007-11), Kari Wolford (2004-07) and Mariah Scharf (2012-15) all-time on the Bulldog kill charts. With a successful week with three matches on the docket, Selbitschka could knock off Anene Anderson (1991-95) and Sarah Kelly (2015-18).
 

NAME	KILLS	HOW FAR AWAY
9 Sarah Kelly	1,309	21
10 Anene Anderson	1,292	4
11 Cianna Selbitschka	1,288	--

CLIMBING THE RANKS II: That's not all, graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka is attempting to become the lone Bulldog in program history to fortify herself in the top 10 in kills and digs among some of the Bulldog greats. That feat was previously held by Callie Zwettler (2001-04) until she was knocked from her No. 10 ranking in digs earlier this season. Selbitschka has accumulated 1,203 digs and needs 118 digs to share a tie with former teammate Sydney Lanoue (2018-22) for 10th.
 

NAME	DIGS	HOW FAR AWAY
10 Sydney Lanoue	1,321	118
Cianna Selbitschka	1,203	--

CLIMBING THE RANKS III: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison has amassed 1,430 digs during her collegiate career including a season-high 499 just last season. The native of Eagan, Minn., hopped into the top 10 in program history for career digs this season passing Callie Zwettler (2001-04), former teammate Sydney Lanoue (2018-22) and Krista Naughton (1992, 94-96). Madison currently ranks eighth all-time in program history and is chasing down a trio of Bulldogs  -- Julie Bubar (1990-93), Chelsea Meirotto (2003-06) and Keena Seiffert (2012-15) -- that could see her climb as high as fifth with the conclusion of this week's action. 
 

NAME	DIGS	HOW FAR AWAY
5 Keena Seiffert	1,482	52
6 Chelsea Meirotto	1,480	50
7 Julie Bubar	1,443	13
8 Kaylyn Madison	1,430	--

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 564 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. 

ON TAP: The Bulldogs hit the road this next weekend going to Minnesota State University-Moorhead on Friday then following up with Northern State University on Saturday.