The No. 20 University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team begins a three-match homestand this weekend when it hosts No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls at Romano Gymnasium in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action. The Bulldogs will face the Mustangs Friday at 6 p.m. for $1 Ticket Night, before taking on the Cougars Saturday at 2 p.m. for Camper Appreciation Day. Saturday's match will be broadcast live on My9 Sports. 

LAST TIME OUT: UMD dropped a three-set match to Augustana and a four-set match to No. 2 Wayne State on the road last weekend. Xada Johnson led the Bulldogs with 3.00 kills per set, followed by Madeline Guetzkow with 2.43 kills per set and Elyse Karrels with 2.29 kills per set. Karrels also averaged 1.14 blocks per set. 

SCOUTING SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE: The Mustangs make the trip to Duluth with a 17-3 overall record and an 11-2 NSIC record after posting wins over Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead last weekend. SMSU has won six-straight matches and 11 of its last 12, with its lone loss during the stretch coming against Wayne State. The Mustangs lead the nation in kills per set and assists per set, paced by Leah Jones's team-leading 3.22 kills per set and the setting duo of Tatem Schmidt and Sydney Thein, who average 6.61 and 5.49 assists per set, respectively. Former Bulldog Molly Rupp ranks second on the team with 170 kills.

UMD VS. SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Series Record: 70-24
Last Meeting: Oct. 31, 2025 | UMD lost 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 22-25)
Streak: UMD, L1
The Bulldogs split the series with the Mustangs last season, winning in four sets at Romano Gymnasium, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 25-16, before falling in four sets on the road later in the season. Madeline Guetzkow tallied 29 kills to lead UMD in the series, while Xada Johnson added 24 kills and 32 digs. Paige Decker had 18 kills and a team-high 13 total blocks.  

SCOUTING SIOUX FALLS: The Cougars enter the weekend with an 8-13 overall record and a 4-9 conference record following wins over MSU Moorhead and Minnesota Crookston last weekend. USF has won four of its last six matches, following a nine-match losing streak from Sept. 4-29. The Cougars lead the NSIC in blocks per set with a 2.41 average, a mark that ranks No. 14 nationally. Haley Wolfe and Ella Walker rank No. 2 and No. 4 in the league in blocks with 1.16 and 1.09 per set, respectively. Walker also paces USF in kills with 2.81 per set and a league-leading .423 hitting percentage. 

UMD VS. SIOUX FALLS
Series Record: 19-4
Last Meeting: Nov. 1, 2025 | UMD lost 3-1 (17-25, 27-25, 19-25, 21-25)
Streak: UMD, L1
The Bulldogs split their series with the Cougars last season, defeating the visitors with a reverse sweep at Romano Gymnasium in September, before falling in four sets on the road in Sioux Falls to open November. Madeline Guetzkow and Paige Decker each totaled 31 kills in the series to pace the Maroon and Gold, while Madison Reed averaged 4.22 digs per set.   

IN THE POLLS: The Bulldogs dropped three spots from last week to No. 20 in the Oct. 19 AVCA-Taraflex Division II Women's Volleyball Poll. UMD is one of six NSIC teams ranked or receiving votes in the top-25, including No. 2 Wayne State, No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul, No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State, No. 15 St. Cloud State and RV Northern State. 

NCAA D2 NPI RANKINGS: The first NCAA Division II Power Index (NPI) rankings were released on Oct. 26, with UMD ranking No. 37 overall and No. 11 in the Central Region with a 59.457 NPI. The NPI is a ranking system used to evaluate team performance, considering game results and the strength of opponents to calculate a team's NPI value and ranking. The primary purpose of NPI is to compare teams within Division II for ranking and NCAA Championship selection. Once automatic qualifiers are determined, remaining teams are considered for at-large selection based on NPI ranking until the championship field is filled. 

NCAA TOP DOGS: The Bulldogs rank fifth in NCAA Division II in kills per set at 14.20. They have had 40 or more kills in all but two matches this season, and have tallied 60+ on two occasions. Madeline Guetzkow paces UMD with a 3.56 kills per set average, followed by Paige Decker with 2.99 kills per set and Kenzie Kiminski with 2.82 kills per set.