THE OPENING SERVE: A new season is upon us! The University of Minnesota Duluth begins the 2024 campaign at the Texas A&M Kingsville Invitational on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 in Kingsville, Texas. The No. 16 Bulldogs will open serve the against Missouri Southern State University and host institution Texas A&M University-Kingsville Friday. The following day UMD battles Westminster University and Southern Nazarene University to wrap up the weekend tournament.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE: The Lions finished 16-15 overall and 8-12 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association conference in 2023. MSSU was picked eighth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll after placing above .500 for the first time since 2010. The Lions return 11 players from a season ago including all-conference players Fernanda Canedo, Amelia Neels and Kyla Randall. Canedo posted 3.30 kills/set and scooped up 3.34 digs/set defensively. Neels gathered 1.71 kills/set and racked up .92 blocks/set. Randall was the defensive stalwart picking up 3.77 digs/set in her first season with the Lions as a Division I transfer.

SCOUTING REPORT ON TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE: The Javelinas finished 21-12 and lost in the opening round of the NCAA South Central Region to Metropolitan State University of Denver after making it to the championship game  of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. TAMUK placed fifth in the LSC with a 11-5 record and was tabbed with a fourth place finish in the LSC Coaches Poll this year. Ayanna Jackson and Jeri Ficklen return as all-conference selections from last season. Jackson led the team with 2.88 kills/set and 1.05 blocks/set. Ficklen averaged 1.56 kills/set and .85 blocks/set as a freshman. Isabel Neu was the club's leading defender with 3.56 digs/set.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WESTMINSTER: The Griffins capped off 2023 with a 12-15 record and 7-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Westminster was tallied to take 10th in the RMAC preseason poll after the program's first-ever conference tournament appearance a season ago. Mailei Myers is the lone returner for the Griffins who received all-conference accolades. Myers racked up 1.71 kills/set on a team leading .361 hitting percentage. Myers also contributed a team-leading .94 blocks/set. Leila Cornejo paced the club with 5.29 assists/set and .25 aces/set. Emma Reardon lead the team with 3.49 digs/set.

SCOUTING REPORT ON SOUTHERN NAZARENE: The Crimson Storm fought their way to the .500 mark, finishing 15-15 in 2023. SNU was picked to finish eighth in the Great American Conference after a 10th-place 5-11 record from last year. The Crimson Storm lost a pair of all-conference players to graduation but retain Rayanna Mauldin, who tallied 2.43 kills/set and 2.17 digs/set. Kaley Brubaker will direct the offense again, pacing the squad with 9.19 assists/set.

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.

PRESEASON SPOTLIGHT: Senior right side hitter Samantha Paulsen was named a Player to Watch for in the NSIC Preseason release. The native of Chisago Lakes, Minn., was bestowed second team all-conference honors while registering 246 kills last season, good for second among her teammates in 28 matches. She paced the Bulldogs for a second consecutive season in hitting percentage, hitting pay dirt at a .306 clip. Paulsen also tallied 61 blocks and picked up 42 digs as she transitioned from middle blocker to the right side her junior campaign.

OPENING DAY SUCCESS: The Bulldogs have only lost twice on opening day since 2006. No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino (2019, 3-1) and Michigan Tech (2021, 3-0) were the two lone teams to hand UMD a loss on the first day of the season. During that span, UMD is 32-2 (.941) on its opening day. That success has expanded into the opening weekend as well. The Bulldogs are 66-6 (.917) on the opening weekend of the season dating back to 2006.

NICE TO MEET YOU: Three of the four opponents on opening weekend will feature brand new opponents in 2024. The Bulldogs will face off against Texas A&M Kingsville, Westminster and Southern Nazarene for the first time in program history.

BRING 'EM BACK: UMD brings back one of the most veteran-laden squads for 2024. Twelve letterwinners from last year return for the maroon and gold including four seniors and three graduates who all saw action for the Bulldogs. Those seven players tallied 571 combined sets played last season.

NEW DOGS ON THE BLOCK: Five incoming freshmen and a graduate transfer make their Bulldog debuts. The Bulldogs bring in a pair of outside hitters, Grace Mueller (Sheboygan, Wis.) and Xada Johnson (Clear Lake, Iowa), one middle blocker, Elyse Karrels (Port Washington, Wis.), one defensive specialist, Georgia Koscielak (Whitefish Bay, Wis.), and a setter, Ava Jones (Detroit Lakes, Minn.). Ellie Dammann returns to the court for her final go around as a transfer from Division I University of St. Thomas.

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 554 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. Only three other active Division II coaches have a higher winning percentage (.820) with at least five accrued seasons. 

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 14th with 1,119 kills. She sits 15 kills behind April Hansen (2007-11), who has 1,134 kills, for the sole possession of 13th.

CLIMBING THE RANKS II: Graduate defensive specialist Kaylyn Madison has amassed 1,099 digs during her collegiate career including a season-high 499 just last season. The native of Eagan, Minn., needs 167 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 head towards the upper peninsula and venture to Houghton, Mich., to play in the Up North Tournament hosted by Michigan Technological University. Three matches over the weekend await with action starting Friday, Sept. 13 against the host Huskies at 9:00 a.m.