THE OPENING SERVE: The University of Minnesota Duluth will honor its eight seniors against Winona State University at Romano Gymnasium to close out the 2024 regular season. The Bulldogs host Senior Day and the Warriors on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 4:00 p.m. A post match ceremony will take place after the match to honor the eight departing seniors.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE: The Warriors are 17-10 overall and 10-6 in the NSIC, which is currently sixth in the league standings. Winona State is winners of two straight heading into the weekend with St. Cloud State University on the docket Friday night before Saturday's showdown with the Bulldogs. The Warriors capped off last weekend beating Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota Crookston at home. They are 8-3 on the road this season. 

Winona State ranks 11th in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.195), ninth in kills/set (12.76), eighth in assists/set (11.78), ninth in aces/set (1.56), fifth in digs/set (16.70), and 10th in blocks/set (1.80).

Sidney Paulson leads the Warriors with 3.03 kills/set, hitting .220 on the season.Winona State also relies on Kenna Kornely (2.40 kills/set) and Lydia Lange (2.25 kills/set) as the other top hitting options. Jaci Winchell (5.52 assists/set) and Ashlyn Steding (4.41 assists/set) supply the offensive attack as the setters in a 6-2 formation. Kylie Welch leads the club with 5.15 digs/set. Welch is fifth among NSIC leaders in digs/set this season. Paulson also averages 2.71 digs/set as a full rotation player. Abigail Savatski is the lead blocker, averaging 0.81 blocks/set. 

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. Winona State	80-5	L, 2-3 (Sept. 19, 2024)

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

TEAM	RECORD	NSIC	AVCA RANKING
UMD	15-10	8-9 (10th)	RV
Winona State	17-10	10-6 (Sixth)	NR

SENIOR SALUTE: Saturday's bout will mark the final regular season home appearances ever for UMD's eight seniors. That group, which will be honored in a post-game Senior Day ceremony, includes outside hitter Payton Addink, middle blocker Ellie Dammann, setter Maddi Kealy, defensive specialist Emma Kujawa, libero Kaylyn Madison, defensive specialist Kiley Nihart, right side hitter Samantha Paulsen and outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka.

LAST SIDE OUT: The Bulldogs dropped Friday's night match to No. 8 Concordia University, St. Paul in four sets (17-25, 25-17, 15-25, 20-25). UMD committed 23 errors in the service game -- 10 service errors and 13 reception errors -- as it won the second set before it suffered losses in the final two sets. 

Senior outside hitter Payton Addink registered her second double-double of her career -- first of the season -- on 12 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore right side hitter Madeline Guetzkow was the other lone Bulldog in double digits offensively. Guetzkow had 10 kills on 20 swings and also collected four blocks and four digs.

Saturday's afternoon affair against Minnesota State University took all five sets to decide the winner. The Bulldogs battled back down 2-1 to win the fourth and then took home the road victory nabbing the winner-take-all fifth set (22-25, 25-21, 12-25, 25-23, 15-12) to avenge an earlier loss to the Mavericks this season. 

Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka tallied her team-leading ninth double-double of the 2024 campaign with a team-high 19 kills, and 11 digs. Freshman setter Ava Jones compiled her second career double-double, compiling 25 assists and 11 digs. Senior setter Maddi Kealy dished out 31 assists, matching her career high set back on Oct. 26 against Northern State University. The 31 assists were the most by a Bulldog in a five-set contest this season.  Redshirt sophomore Mary Satori registered 13 digs, which was a collegiate best. Graduate libero Kaylyn Madison scooped up 26 digs, a team high.

NSIC FINEST: Senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen was named to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) First Team All Conference team. Paulsen was selected first team honors for the second time after garnering the distinction her sophomore year as a middle blocker. She also headlined as one of four UMD all-conference award winners last season as she was bestowed second team honors.

In 17 conference matches this season, Paulsen leads the team in points (216.0, 3.32 points/set), kills (190 kills, 2.92 kills/set) and hitting percentage (.311). Among her conference foes, Paulsen currently ranks 10th in hitting percentage, 15th in kills/set and 19th in points/set.


NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: A pair of Bulldogs -- senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen and sophomore middle blocker Paige Decker -- were honored by the NSIC with its weekly honors. The league announced on Monday, Nov. 4 that Paulsen was named the NSIC Offensive Player of Week while Decker was selected the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week. 

It is the first-ever accolade for both Paulsen and Decker. It is also the first weekly honor by a Bulldog since Grace Daak grabbed NSIC Defensive Player of the Week back on Oct. 16, 2023. Paulsen is also UMD's first NSIC Offensive Player of the Week recipient since Sydney Lanone took home the distinction on Oct. 24, 2022.

SAM I AM: Senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen leads the team averaging 3.00 kills/set, which would be her career best for a season. Paulsen is one of 10 players in the NSIC to average at least 3.00 kills/set. Paulsen set a career high in kills against Northern State on Oct. 25 with 20 kills. The Chisago Lakes, Minn., native has 17 matches with at least 10 kills including seven of the last eight matches.

BLOCK PARTY: Junior middle blocker Kylie Broten has at least five blocks in the last three matches. The Luck, Wis., native leads the Bulldogs with 90 total blocks in 2024. She also ranks 13th in the NSIC with 0.97 blocks/set, which is a season high. She also has the most blocks in a single match this season with fellow teammate sophomore middle blocker Paige Decker with seven total blocks. 

PAY DIRT: Senior outside hitter Payton Addink has already produced a season high mark in digs this season with 119 defensive saves. Addink has recorded three straight matches with double digit digs including a season high 16 digs against the University of Mary. 

GOING THE DISTANCE: The Bulldogs have played in six five-set matches this season. UMD is 4-2 in those five-set thrillers. The last matchup against Winona State went to the fifth set and, additionally, last time out at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

GET STRONG STARTS: Getting out to early leads have pushed the odds in favor of the Bulldogs. UMD is 10-1 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 12-1 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 12-5 record when holding the opposition to a hitting percentage below the Mendoza mark. UMD has held the last seven of the last seven opponents under a .200 attack percentage.

HIGH FIVE: Last Saturday against the University of Mary, the Bulldogs allowed five points in the second set in their sweep over the Marauders. The five points is the fewest points allowed in a single set by UMD dating back to Oct. 15, 2021 against Minot State when it won that second set by a score of 25-4.

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.

TWENTY FOURTH 1,000 KILL MEMBER: She has her work cut out for her but senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen closed the gap considerably over the last few weeks accumulating 50 kills over the last four matches. Paulsen has 947 career kills and needs 53 more to join an exclusive club and become the 24th Bulldog to reach 1,000 kills.

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 (1,354), and 71st in digs (1,241).

(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 ninth with 1,328 kills. This season, she has passed April Hansen (2007-11), Kari Wolford (2004-07), Mariah Scharf (2012-15), Anene Anderson (1991-95) and surpassed Sarah Kelly (2015-18) for the ninth-most terminations in Bulldog history on Friday, Nov. 1 vs. Minot State University. Selbitschka is hunting down Kate Berg (2017-21) for eighth, who had 1,419 kills.
 

NAME	KILLS	HOW FAR AWAY
8 Kate Berg	1,149	65
9 Cianna Selbitschka	1,354	--

CAN YOU DIG IT: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison is 31st among active Division II players with 1,538 digs. She ranks second among active players in just the NSIC only trailing UMary's Kaia Sueker, who has 1,755 digs.

CLIMBING THE RANKS II: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison has amassed 1,538 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), Julie Bubar (1990-93) and, most recently, Chelsea Meirotto (2003-06) and Keena Seiffert (2012-15). Madison currently ranks fifth all-time in program history and is within reach of chasing down Rhaya Tomberlin (1986-89) for fourth place all time with 1,549 career digs. Madison is 11 digs away from matching Tomberlin.
 

NAME	DIGS	HOW FAR AWAY
4 Rhaya Tombelin	1,549	11
5 Kaylyn Madison	1,538	--

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 569 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 await their postseason fate with a chance to make the NSIC Conference Tournament, which starts Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the highest seeded team.