THE OPENING SERVE: After going undefeated at the Javelina Volleyball Classic and at the UP North Tournament to start the 2024 campaign, the University of Minnesota Duluth gears up for Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action starting this Thursday. The 11th-ranked Bulldogs will clash with Winona State University on the road that night before traversing home to battle No. 10 Concordia University, St. Paul in the home opener at Romano Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The Thursday tilt will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the highly anticipated ranked Saturday showdown takes place at 2:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE: The Warriors went 6-3 to start the season and are riding a two match winning streak heading into Thursday's bout. Winona State went 3-1 last weekend in the Quincy University Hawk Invitational. Last season, the Warriors went 18-10 and ended their season in the NSIC Quarterfinals. They were selected for a sixth place finish in the conference after landing in the seventh spot in 2023. Sidney Paulson leads the team with 3.00 kills/set on a .229 hitting percentage.Winona State runs a 6-2 system with Jaci Winchell (5.74 assists/set) and Ashlyn Steding (4.53) setting. Kylie Welch paces the club with 4.00 digs per set and Abigail Savatski is tops among her team and fourth among the NSIC with 1.26 blocks/set. The Warriors sport a 2.16 blocks/set, ranked sixth in the NSIC -- their best category among NSIC teams.

SCOUTING REPORT ON CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: The Golden Bears went 5-3 to open the year and dropped the last two matches -- both in five sets -- in the Colorado Premier Challenge last weekend. Concordia-St. Paul is 1-3 against ranked opponents this year. The Golden Bears finished 2023 30-3 overall and bowed out in the NCAA Central Region Championship match after taking home the NSIC Postseason Tournament crown. They were picked to go second in the conference after taking second in the standings a year ago. Concordia-St. Paul has five players averaging over 2.00 kills/set with Sophia Andersen pacing the club at 3.00. Teagen Starkey has 12.22 assists/set, which is No. 1 in Division II. Cassie Sieling and Emma Schmidt both have over 3.00 digs/set and Claudia Stahlke leads the team with 1.38 blocks/set, which is also tops in the NSIC. The Golden Bears are ranked third in the NSIC with 13.13 assists/set and fourth in the NSIC with 13.91 kills/set.

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. Winona State	80-4	W, 3-1 (Oct. 25, 2023)
vs. Concordia-St. Paul	28-33	L, 2-3 (Nov. 18, 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	7-0	11th
Winona State	6-3	NR
Concordia-St. Paul	5-3	10th

LAST SIDE OUT: The Bulldogs went 3-0 last weekend in the UP North Tournament in Houghton, Mich. UMD was the only team to emerge unbeaten in the tournament. It coasted past No. 20 Michigan Techinlogical University in straight sets and managed to oust Northern Michigan University and the University of Findlay in four sets each.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen was bestowed as the Most Valuable Player in the UP North Tournament this past weekend in Houghton, Mich. Paulsen, along with graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka, were both named to the seven-player All-Tournament team. Paulsen, the product of Chisago Lakes H.S., paced UMD in kills/set (3.82), hitting percentage (.425) and blocks/set (0.91) for the weekend. She posted 19 kills against Northern Michigan -- tying her career high outing -- and tallied 15 kills and a weekend-high six blocks versus then-ranked No. 20 Michigan Tech.

STILL STANDING: UMD is one of the 23 teams remaining that have not had a blemish to its record. There are currently still four teams including the Bulldogs that are undefeated in the daunting NSIC.

WRECKING WARRIORS: The 80 wins over Winona State is the second most in program history. Bemidji State (98) has fallen victim to the UMD the most times.

HOME SWEET HOME: Dating back to 2005, the Bulldogs are 17-1 in their home openers. The last home opener dropped was in 2021 when UMD lost to No. 5 Wayne State College in four sets.

HOME SWEET HOME II: Winning nearly 85 percent of all matches at Romano Gymnasium since 1977 (437-76 overall), UMD has gone undefeated at home 10 times, and has recorded double-digit victories in a season on 21 occasions. The 2018 Bulldogs capped off the last of those undefeated double-digit seasons, going a perfect 13-0 and winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Postseason Tournament.

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.

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 (3.58), 19th in kills (1,190), and 23rd in attacks (3,101).

CAN YOU DIG IT: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison is 39th among active Division II players with 1,215 digs.

SERVICE WITH A SMILE: The Bulldogs are averaging 2.12 aces/set this season which currently ranks first in the NSIC and 48th in the country. Fort Valley State leads the nation at 4.67 aces/set.

POCKET ACES: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison and freshman setter Ava Jones are ranked in the top five among the conference in aces per set. Jones currently leads all NSIC players at 0.62 while Madison is fifth at 0.58. Jones also ranks fifth among all Division II freshmen in the category as well. 

BOMBS AWAY: The UMD offense is currently 4th in the nation in hitting percentage and tops in the NSIC. The Bulldogs are hitting .334 after seven games and have hit below .300 only once this season. Fort Valley State  holds the top slot at .397. 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.

SAM I AM: Senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen is 12th in the nation with .465 hitting percentage, second-best in the NSIC. Paulsen has led UMD in hitting percentage each of the last two seasons. She has posted a .480 hitting clip or better in five of the seven matches this season.

2023 SEASON RECAP: The Bulldogs went 18-11 overall and 10-8 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. The postseason featured UMD going on the road as the sixth seed and defeating No. 5-ranked Southwest Minnesota State in the NSIC Quarterfinals before succumbing to No. 4 Concordia St. Paul in the semifinal round. The Bulldogs made it back to the NCAA II Tournament for the 24th time in program history and made a first round exit in the Central Region to eventual regional champion No. 3 Wayne State.

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 561 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. 11 in the week two poll. The Bulldogs moved up three spots last week and five total spots from the preseason poll. Tampa University claimed the No. 1 ranking for the second week in a row with 1,156 points and 42 out of the possible 47 first-place votes.

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 1,190 kills. She passed April Hansen (2007-11), who had 1,134 kills, for the sole possession of 13th in the opening weekend. Next the list is Kari Wolford (2004-07) at 12th place in Bulldog history with 1,250 kills (60 away).

CLIMBING THE RANKS II: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison has amassed 1,215 digs during her collegiate career including a season-high 499 just last season. The native of Eagan, Minn., needs 50 more to slide into the top 10 of the program record for digs in a career. Callie Zwettler (2001-04) scooped up 1,265 digs during her tenure and currently holds the No. 10 spot.

2023 ACCOLADES: Graduate outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka attained AVCA All-American Third Team honors continuing the tradition of excellence set forth by the program. Selbitschka became the 27th player in program history to be bestowed an All American. In addition, she nabbed first team AVCA All-Region recognition. Selbitschka, along with alumna middle blocker Grace Daak, alumna setter Madison Gordon and senior Samantha Paulsen, each garnered All-Conference distinction. Meanwhile, graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison and Daak were each awarded NSIC Defensive Player of the Week with Madison grabbing the award twice throughout the season.

ON TAP: The Bulldogs venture on the road to take on Bemidji State University on Wednesday, Sept. 25. First serve of the NSIC matchup against the Beavers will start at 6:00 p.m.