THE OPENING SERVE: The University of Minnesota Duluth ventures east to the Upper Peninsula in Houghton, Mich., to partake in the UP North Tournament hosted by Michigan Technological University this weekend. The No. 14 Bulldogs battle Michigan Tech in a battle of 4-0 clubs Friday, Sept. 13 at 9:00 a.m, then square off against Northern Michigan University at 2:00 p.m. UMD closes action with a bout versus the University of Findlay Saturday, Sept. 14 at 11:30 a.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MICHIGAN TECH: The Huskies are 4-0 after a perfect weekend at the Oredigger Classic. Michigan Tech is ranked No. 20 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll after defeating a pair of ranked teams. The last time the Huskies appeared in the poll was September 2022. Tess Hayes was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Setter of the Week. Meg Raabe leads the club averaging 3.60 kills/set on a .217 hitting clip. Hayes is averaging 10.87 assists/set and Amelia Albers has a team leading 4.73 digs/set. The Huskies are one of the better blocking teams, thus far, ranking 25th in blocks/set (2.60).

SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN MICHIGAN: The Wildcats finished 3-1 in the Maverick Invite last weekend falling to Minnesota State University Mankato in five sets to close out the tournament. Northern Michigan will host Findlay Thursday night before embarking in the UP North Tournament. Jacqueline Smith is the lone Wildcat averaging over two kills/set. Her 4.25 kills/set ranks 28th in the nation and she is hitting .271 on the year. Allie Barlow is running the offense averaging 10.19 assists/set while Liesi Haugen leads the team with 4.44 digs/set. 

SCOUTING REPORT ON FINDLAY: The Oilers went 3-0 in the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament and will travel to play Northern Michigan Thursday night before the weekend slate. Three Oilers averaged 2.80 kills/set with Hannah Miller pacing the club with 4.70 kills/set. Miller is hitting .374 after three game and Emma White is dishing out 12.60 assists/set as the club is hitting .375. White and Ava Foster hold a share of the team lead with 2.80 digs/set. The Oilers boast one of the best offenses early on, ranking second best in kills/set (15.70), assists/set (14.70) and hitting percentage (.375).

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

TEAM	RECORD	LAST MEETING
vs. Michigan Tech	32-9	W, 3-0 (Sept. 7, 2023)
vs. Northern Michigan	30-16	W, 3-0 (Sept. 8, 2023)
vs. Findlay	1-0	W, 3-2 (Aug. 24, 2018)

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

TEAM	RECORD	AVCA RANKING
UMD	4-0	14th
Michigan Tech	4-0	20th
Northern Michigan	30-16	NR
Findlay	1-0	NR

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs went 4-0 last weekend in the second edition of the Javelina Volleyball Classic in Kingsville, Texas. UMD surged past Missouri Southern State University in four sets in the regular season opener then needed all five sets to outlast Texas A&M University-Kingsville. On Saturday, the Bulldogs flexed their muscles offensively sweeping both Westminster University (Utah) and Southern Nazarene University.

DOUBLE 1K CLUB: Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka etched another milestone to her name in the last match against Southern Nazarene Saturday 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.

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 15th kills/set (3.60), 17th in kills (1,155), and 22nd in attacks (3,021).

CAN YOU DIG IT: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison is 35th among active Division II players with 1,150 digs.

POCKET ACES: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison and freshman setter Ava Jones are each tied for the NSIC lead with 11 aces, which is tied for 19th in the nation. Among freshman, Jones is ranked 3rd in the nation in that category.

BOMBS AWAY: The UMD offense is currently 4th in the nation in hitting percentage. The Bulldogs are hitting .352 after four games and have hit above .300 on three occasions. Barry University holds the top slot at .415. UMD hit a season high .450 against Southern Nazarene, the fourth highest single-game mark in the nation. In addition, in the five set win over Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Bulldogs hit .355 for the match, the best hitting percentage in a five set match this season in the nation.

SAM I AM: Senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen is 11th in the nation with .500 hitting percentage, tops in the NSIC. Paulsen has led UMD in hitting percentage each of the last two seasons. She hit .640 against Texas A&M-Kingsville going for a team-high 16 kills in the win. 

BOOS' CLUES: The long-standing bench boss patrolling the UMD sidelines returns for his the 23rd year. Jim Boos has placed himself into the upper echelon as the all-time winningest coach for the volleyball program, notching 558 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 (.821) with at least five accrued seasons.

SURVEY SAYS (AVCA EDITION): The American Volleyball Coaches Association released the latest Division II Top 25 Poll on Monday and UMD appeared No. 14 in the week one poll. The Bulldogs moved up two spots from the preseason poll and garnered 565 points. Cal State Los Angeles, the reigning NCAA Champions, dropped  from the top spot down to No.11 and Tampa University claimed the No. 1 ranking with 1,146 points and 35 out of the possible 47 first-place votes.

ON TAP: The Bulldogs begin Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Thursday, Sept. 19 at Winona State University. First serve against the Warriors will start at 6:00 p.m.