The No. 17 University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team heads back on the road this weekend for Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matches at Augustana and No. 2 Wayne State. The Bulldogs will take on the Vikings Friday at 5 p.m. at the Elmen Center, before facing off with the Wildcats Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rice Arena. 

LAST TIME OUT: UMD suffered its first back-to-back losses of the season last weekend after falling to Minnesota State, 3-1, and No. 16 St. Cloud State, 3-0, at Romano Gymnasium. Madeline Guetzkow led the Bulldogs with 4.21 points per set, including 3.24 kills per set, four service aces and four total blocks. Madison Reed had 3.71 digs per set to pace the defense. 

SCOUTING AUGUSTANA: The Vikings welcome UMD to the Elmen Center Friday night with an 11-8 overall record and a 5-6 NSIC mark. They are 3-2 in their last five matches, which includes wins over UMary, Minot State and Sioux Falls and losses to Jamestown and Northern State. Reagan Jansen leads Augustana with a 3.14 kills per set average, 26 service aces and a 3.13 digs per set average. Mya Wente has a team-leading 67 total blocks. As a team, the Vikings rank third in the NSIC in kills (14.21) and assists (13.42). 

UMD VS. AUGUSTANA
Series Record: 39-13
Last Meeting: Oct. 24, 2025 | UMD won 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-21)
Streak: UMD, W3
The Bulldogs won both meetings against the Vikings last season, including a 3-0 sweep at home on Oct. 24 and a five-set win at the Elmen Center on Sept. 27. In those matches, Madeline Guetzkow averaged 5.00 points and 4.50 kills per set, while hitting .348. Ava Jones averaged 11.25 assists per set and 3.50 digs per set, while Madison Reed averaged 4.13 digs per set and added six service aces. UMD has won three-straight matches against the Vikings and picked up wins in four of its last five meetings. 

SCOUTING WAYNE STATE: The Wildcats enter the weekend unbeaten in NSIC play with an 11-0 league record and rank No. 2 in the AVCA-Taraflex Division II Coaches Poll this week with a 19-1 overall record. Their lone loss came against No. 5 Ferris State at the Colorado Premier Challenge on Sept. 5. Of WSC's 19 wins on the season, 14 have been sweeps, including five of its last six. The Wildcats lead the NSIC and rank fifth nationally with a .297 team hitting percentage, led by Chloe Hanel's .369 mark that ranks sixth in the league. She also ranks second in the conference with 76 total blocks. Delaney Miller has a team-best 218 kills, followed by Channatee Robles with 199 kills and Hanel with 190 kills. 

UMD VS. WAYNE STATE
Series Record: 31-16
Last Meeting: Oct. 25, 2025 | UMD lost 3-0 (21-25, 20-25, 19-25)
Streak: UMD, L8
The Bulldogs lost both meetings against Wayne State last season, including a reverse sweep by the Wildcats at Romano Gymnasium on Sept. 26 and a sweep on the road on Oct. 25. In those two matches, Ava Jones averaged 12.50 assists per set, while Madeline Guetzkow led the team with 3.50 kills per set. Paige Decker had 3.00 kills per set, while Madison Reed contributed a massive 6.75 digs per set over the pair of contests. UMD has lost eight-straight meetings against Wayne State, with its last win against the Wildcats coming in five sets on Oct. 19, 2019 at Rice Arena. 

IN THE POLLS: The Bulldogs dropped three spots from last week to No. 17 in the Oct. 12 AVCA-Taraflex Division II Women's Volleyball Poll. UMD is one of five NSIC teams ranked in the top-25, including No. 2 Wayne State, No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul, No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State and No. 13 St. Cloud State. 

NCAA TOP DOGS: The Bulldogs rank fourth in NCAA Division II in kills per set at 14.39. They have had 40 or more kills in all but one match this season, and have tallied 60+ on two occasions. Madeline Guetzkow paces UMD with a 3.69 kills per set average, followed by Paige Decker with 3.08 kills per set and Kenzie Kiminski with 3.00 kills per set. 

EFFICIENT HITTERS: UMD has three hitters rank in the top-15 in the NSIC in hitting percentage, with Paige Decker leading the league and ranking second nationally with a .446 mark. Madeline Guetzkow ranks third in the NSIC with a .390 hitting percentage and Elyse Karrels ranks 13th in conference standings with a .344 attack percentage. As a team, the Bulldogs rank fourth in the conference and 18th in NCAA Division II with a .272 mark. 

SISTER VS. SISTER: Sophomore Brietta Tims will face older sister Sydney Tims when the Bulldogs battle Augustana Friday night. Tims returns to her hometown of Sioux Falls for the contest, where she was a three-time South Dakota Class A State Champion at Sioux Falls Christian High School. Brietta is averaging 1.86 kills per set and ranks second in the NSIC with 0.48 service aces per set in 50 sets played, while Sydney is averaging 1.34 kills per set in 61 sets played.