THE OPENING SERVE: The No. 15 University of Minnesota Duluth hosts a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches this weekend at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs will play host to No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State University on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6:00 p.m. before taking on the University of Sioux Falls Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE: The Mustangs are 13-0 and are one of eight NCAA Division II squads to not have a loss on the year including to lone NSIC club. Sporting a 4-0 NSIC record, SMSU defeated MSU Moorhead in straight sets at home in its previous match. The Mustangs are first in the nation in attacks per set (41.35), assists per set (14.43) , digs per set (19.93), and are one spot off of having the best kills per set (15.24). A pair of Mustangs averaged over 3.00 kills/set with Saari Kuehl leading the charge at 3.57. McKenzie Tolk is the NSIC leader in digs/set with 5.65, which is good for 10th nationally. Sydney Thein is running the offense averaging 11.91 assists/set, which is fifth in the nation, as SMSU is hitting .251 on the season.

SCOUTING REPORT ON SIOUX FALLS: The Cougars are 8-4 on the year and 3-1 in conference play heading into the weekend. USF won its third straight match after sweeping Minot State at home last Friday. The Cougars feature a balanced lineup with six attackers averaging over 1.00 kills/set. Sadie Voss is the main outside thumping home a team leading 3.24 kills/set. Voss also leads the team with 3.27 digs/set. USF runs a 6-2 system with Elise Gillen (6.54 assists/set) and Liz Kopp (4.15) directing the offense while the team is hitting .273 thus far, good for 13th in the nation and third in the NSIC. Jordan Kuper is currently third in the NSIC hitting at a .388 attack clip.

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. Southwest Minnesota State	69-22	W, 3-1 (Nov. 14, 2023)
vs. Sioux Falls	18-2	W, 3-0 (Nov. 4, 2023)

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

TEAM	RECORD	AVCA RANKING
UMD	8-3	15th
SMSU	13-0	4th
USF	8-4	NR

LAST SIDE OUT: The Bulldogs lost to No. 8 St. Cloud State on the road in straight sets (9-25, 21-25, 25-27) on Tuesday in the final non-conference match. UMD had its three match winning streak over the SCSU snapped as it recorded season lows in kills (32), assists (27), digs (37), aces (2) and blocks (6). Graduate middle blocker Ellie Dammann posted seven kills and three blocks to lead the Bulldogs. Senior setter Maddi Kealy dished out a team leading 15 assists while freshman setter Ava Jones amassed the club's two aces of the match. Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka tallied eight digs, a team high. Senior outside hitter Payton Addink tied her season best outing with a pair of blocks in the contest.

NECK AND NECK: The Mustangs and Bulldogs have gone 6-6 against each other in the last 12 meetings dating back to the 2017 season. Neither team has won more than two in a row since that time frame. SMSU took the season series last season but the Bulldogs captured the last victory, downing the Mustangs in the NSIC Quarterfinals on their home floor. 

BRINGING THEIR BEST: A few career highlights have come when the Mustangs match up with the Bulldogs. Senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen notched her best outing as a blocker, recording seven blocks back in Sept. 30, 2022 match. Graduate libero Kaylyn Madison and graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka each had monumental moments in the last home outing a season ago. Madison compiled a career-high 35 digs and Selbitcschka tallied six blocks. Senior outside hitter Payton Addink brought her best game last time out as she accumulated 17 kills and 18 total points in the upset win in the NSIC Tournament.

NICE KITTY: The Bulldogs have won the last 11 meetings against the Cougars. USF last defeated UMD back on Oct. 28, 2016 on the road. Sioux Falls has been swept the last five appearances and nine of the last 11 showdowns between each other.

DOUBLE 1K CLUB: Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka etched another milestone to her name against Southern Nazarene earlier this season as she recorded her 1,000th career dig. Selbitschka became just the 11th Bulldog to eclipse 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their Bulldog career. Kate Berg was the last to reach the honor back in 2021.

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 13th with 1,234 kills. She passed April Hansen (2007-11), who had 1,134 kills, for the sole possession of 13th on opening weekend. Next on the list is Kari Wolford (2004-07) at 12th place in Bulldog history with 1,250 kills (16 away).

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka is also climbing the charts among active leaders in the Division II landscape. For her career, Selbitschka is 19th in kills/set (3.53), 19th in kills (1,234), and 61st in digs (1,112).

CAN YOU DIG IT: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison is 35th among active Division II players with 1,294 digs.

CLIMBING THE RANKS II: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison has amassed 1,294 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 digs in a career passing Callie Zwettler (2001-04), who scooped up 1,265 digs during her tenure, for sole possession of the No. 10 spot. Next on the ladder is former teammate Sydney Lanoue, who piled up 1,321 digs.

POCKET ACES: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison and freshman setter Ava Jones are ranked in the top six among the conference in aces per set. Jones is second in the conference at 0.50 aces/set and Madison is sixth at 0.45 aces/set. Jones also ranks tied for sixth among all Division II freshmen in the category as well. 

BOMBS AWAY: The UMD offense is currently 23rd in the nation in hitting percentage.The Bulldogs are hitting .253, good for fourth in the NSIC, and have hit above .300 on six occasions this season. In the five set win over Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Bulldogs hit .355 for the match, the second-best hitting percentage in a five set match this season.

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 15th in the newest edition of the Division II poll, remaining steady from last week's poll. Tampa University remains No. 1 for the fourth week in a row with 1,168 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. 

ON TAP: The Bulldogs close out their longest home stand of the year with a showdown with Minnesota State University, Mankato on Tuesday, Oct. 8.