The University of Minnesota Duluth (3-0, 0-0 NSIC)Â volleyball team extended its winning streak to three matches with a pair of victories over Cal State East Bay (0-2, 0-0 CCAA) and Northern Michigan (1-2, 0-0 GLIAC) Friday as part of the UP North Tournament at Vandament Arena in Marquette, Mich. The Bulldogs swept the Pioneers in the morning, 25-21, 25-18, 25-23, before defeating tournament host Northern Michigan, 21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-9, to close out Day Two.
Match 2 at Northern Michigan
Sophomore
Brietta Tims and senior
Madeline Guetzkow each posted double-doubles with 13 kills and 10 digs, while freshman
Kenzie Kiminski recorded match highs with 16 kills and six total blocks to pace the Bulldogs against Northern Michigan. Tims also matched her career high with five service aces.
Senior
Madison Reed totaled 22 digs in the victory, including the 500th dig of her career on her first dig of the match.
Junior
Ava Jones added 41 assists, six digs and four service aces as the Bulldogs hit .320 as a team. UMD outhit the Wildcats, .320 to .157, and held advantages in kills (58-36), assists (55-35), service aces (10-1), digs (59-43) and total blocks (8.0-6.0).
After dropping the opening set, the Bulldogs responded by winning the next three in convincing fashion. UMD hit .500 in the second set, committing just two attack errors on 30 attempts. Tims hit .833 with five kills, while
Paige Decker hit .800 with four kills to lead the Bulldogs' offense. Decker finished the match with nine kills.
Despite falling behind early in the third set, UMD quickly responded with a critical run, including a kill from Tims, to cut the deficit to 4-3. Jones then orchestrated a series of scoring plays, setting up four kills by Kiminski and two by
Elyse Karrels, as the Bulldogs turned a 7-3 deficit into a 13-8 lead. Jones added two service aces during the stretch, contributing to a 10-1 run that put UMD firmly in control. Northern Michigan could get no closer than six points the rest of the way before another Jones service ace sealed the set.
The Maroon and Gold saved its most efficient offensive performance for the fourth set, hitting .476 with 18 kills while holding the Wildcats to a -.037 hitting percentage and just seven kills. Tims added seven kills and Kiminski six to pace the Bulldogs' offense.
Jones opened the set with a 3-0 serving run before Tims sparked an 11-0 run from the service line that pushed UMD's lead to 17-5. The Bulldogs maintained control the rest of the way to secure the 25-9 set victory and the match.
Match 1 vs. Cal State East Bay
Decker and Guetzkow combined for 32 kills to lead UMD to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23) sweep of Cal State East Bay Friday morning. Decker hit .692 with 19 kills, while Guetzkow posted her second consecutive double-double with 13 kills on .407 hitting and a match-high 16 digs. Jones added 39 assists, eight digs, two service aces and two blocks.
The Bulldogs outhit the Pioneers, .235 to .178, and held advantages in kills (45-31), assists (44-30) and digs (57-44). Both teams recorded five total blocks.
UMD trailed by as many as five points early in the first set, 10-5, but a 3-0 run fueled by three Cal State East Bay errors brought the Bulldogs within two, 10-8. A 5-0 run behind the serving of Guetzkow then gave UMD its first lead, 14-13. Back-to-back kills from Decker extended the advantage to three points, while a Reed service ace later pushed the lead to four, 19-15. The Pioneers would get no closer than three points the rest of the way before Guetzkow closed out the set with her fourth kill of the frame.
Decker hit .750 with six kills to lead the Bulldogs' offense in the opening set, while Tims, Jones and Karrels each recorded a solo block.
The Bulldogs hit .308 with 17 kills to cruise to a 25-18 victory in the second set, led by seven kills from Decker and five from Guetzkow.
Grace Mueller added three kills and a block assist. After UMD took a 14-13 lead on a Guetzkow kill, the Bulldogs never relinquished the advantage. A 3-0 run, capped by kills and block assists from Kiminski and Mueller, closed out the set.
The Maroon and Gold improved its hitting percentage to .355 in the third set, jumping ahead early and never trailing. Cal State East Bay managed to tie the set four times, including at 23-23, but two consecutive kills from Decker sealed the set and match victory for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs wrap up the UP North Tournament Saturday when they take on Tiffin University at 10:30 a.m. CST at Vandament Arena.
