THE OPENING SERVE: The last home volleyball weekend is upon us. The University of Minnesota Duluth hosts its final Friday-Saturday home series of the 2024 campaign with Minot State University and the University of Mary at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs square off with the Beavers on Friday, Nov. 1 starting at 6:00 p.m. The Marauders come to town the following day on Saturday, Nov. 2 with the first serve beginning at 2:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINOT STATE: The Beavers are 2-19 overall and 0-13 in conference play this season. They defeated Dickinson State at home on Tuesday in straight sets to snap a 14-match losing streak. They have to capture a win away from home, going 0-8 on the road and 0-2 at a neutral site. This season, Minot State is 11th in blocks/set (1.77), 12th in digs/set (15.18) and last in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.110), kills/set (9.79), assists/set (8.90) and aces/set (0.85).

Paulina Kowalska headlines the attack averaging 2.47 kills/set for the Beavers. Jaina Maculay (4.25 assists/set) and Emily Barker (4.13) split time as the team's setter. Viktoria Sedova paces the back row with 3.21 digs/set as she is one seven different Beavers that average over two digs/set. Bailee Brommenschenkel leads the team with 1.00 blocks/set.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MARY: The Marauders are 4-17 overall and 2-11 in the NSIC. They are on a three-match losing streak and are 1-7 on the road this season. UMary dropped a four-set match to Bemidji State last Saturday at home last time out.

In the NSIC, the Marauders rank 13th in hitting percentage (.158), 14th in kills/set (11.01), 12th in assists/set (10.38), 14th in aces/set (1.29), 14th in digs/set (14.82), and 14th in blocks/set (1.64).

Gabby Caskey paces the Marauder offense with 2.60 kills/set. Charli Blackman is second in command on the attack with 2.51 kills/set. Kaia Sueker leads the team with 4.58 digs/set. Maddy Freed directs the offense firing assists at a 9.50 clip per set. McKenna Kirkpatrick provides the main block, averaging 1.29 blocks/set for UMary.

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

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

LAST SIDE OUT: The Bulldogs split last weekend in a pair of road matches, taking down Minnesota State University-Moorhead in straight sets on Friday. It was the third straight sweep and third consecutive victory for UMD. Then No. 22-ranked Northern State University snapped the latest winning streak, downing the Bulldogs in four sets in Aberdeen, S.D. on Saturday afternoon.

UMD hit .407 versus MSU Moorhead, the second highest hitting percentage of the season. The Dragons hit a season-low .047 and were also held to a season-low 21 kills. Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka etched her name into the top 10 of the UMD hitting charts, surpassing Anene Anderson (1991-95), who had 1,292 career kills, for sole possession of 10th place.

Junior middle blocker Kylie Broten had 12 kills, matching her career high. She also produced 14.5 points, a new career best, and capped off going 12-for-16 with zero errors to sport a .750 hitting percentage, the hitting clip recorded by a Bulldog this season with at least 10 swings.

Senior outside hitter Payton Addink dished out four service aces against the Dragons out-doing her career effort from Tuesday night when she compiled a then-career high three aces against Bemidji State. 

It was a clinical performance by Samantha Paulsen on Saturday at Northern State. The senior right side hitter notched a new collegiate mark with 20 kills. Paulsen bested her previous outings when she amassed 19 kills twice including most recently against Northern Michigan University on Sept. 13. She also recorded three blocking assists, matching her collegiate point total of 21.5 points from Aug. 26, 2022 against Drury. 

The Wolves overcame Paulsen clinical performance as they accounted for 17 total blocks and 15 serving aces, both season highs allowed by UMD, as they won the last three sets to drop the Bulldogs in four. 

KEEP THE BROOMS HANDY: Minot State entered the NSIC in 2012 and the Beavers and the Bulldogs have gone toe-to-toe 15 times since the two clubs first met. UMD has not lost a set and has swept the Beavers in all 15 matches. The Bulldogs look to extend that streak to 48 straight sets on Friday.

AHOY, MATEY: The Bulldogs have also defeated the Marauders each time the two teams have faced off. UMD is a perfect 21-0 against UMary and has only dropped two sets (Oct. 16, 2009 and Nov. 4, 2022) against the Marauders.

GET STRONG STARTS: Getting out to early leads have pushed the odds in favor of the Bulldogs. UMD is 8-1 this year when leading after two sets (the lone loss against Concordia-St. Paul) and 5-2 when leading two sets to one after the third set of action.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 200: When UMD hits over .200 for a match it is 10-1 during the season. The only loss was a setback to Southwest Minnesota State when the Bulldogs walloped at an even .300 attack clip. The Bulldogs, defensively, sport a 10-4 record when holding the opposition to a hitting percentage below the Mendoza mark. UMD has held the last four opponents under a .200 attack percentage.

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 20th in kills (1,304), and 67th in digs (1,218).

(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 each of the last two seasons and is racing up the charts for most kills in program history. The North Branch, Minn., native currently sits 10th with 1,304 kills. This season, she has passed April Hansen (2007-11), Kari Wolford (2004-07), Mariah Scharf (2012-15) and Anene Anderson (1991-95) so far in her final collegiate go-around. Selbitschka needs six kills to surpass Sarah Kelly (2015-18) for the ninth-most terminations in Bulldog history.

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 1,218 digs and needs 103 digs to share a tie with former teammate Sydney Lanoue (2018-22) for 10th.

CAN YOU DIG IT: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison is 31st among active Division II players with 1,472 digs. She ranks second among active players in just the NSIC only trailing UMary's Kaia Sueker, who has 1,709 digs.

CLIMBING THE RANKS III: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison has amassed 1,444 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), Krista Naughton (1992, 94-96), and most recently Julie Bubar (1990-93). Madison currently ranks seventh all-time in program history and is within reach of chasing down and passing a pair of Bulldogs -- Chelsea Meirotto (2003-06) and Keena Seiffert (2012-15) -- to catapult herself in the top five all time.

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 566 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 close out the road portion of their schedule with NSIC matches against Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University, Mankato next Friday and Saturday.