Senior
Madeline Guetzkow posted a double-double with 10 kills and a season-high 20 digs to lead the University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team to a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) sweep of Minot State, 25-12, 25-13, 25-14, Saturday afternoon on the road at the Minot State Dome in Minot, N.D. It was the fifth-straight three-set sweep for the Bulldogs and improved their record to 9-1 on the season and 2-0 to open league play.
Guetzkow hit a match-high .667 and did not commit an attack error in 15 attempts. Freshman
Kenzie Kiminski added nine kills and two solo blocks and senior
Paige Decker and junior
Xada Johnson contributed eight kills apiece. Decker also had four block assists and fellow senior
Madison Reed totaled 17 digs for the defense.
Ava Jones dished out 37 assists in the win and moved into 11th all-time at UMD in career assists with 2,054, surpassing Sheila Brown's 2,019 assists from 1985-86.
All 16 members of the UMD squad saw action in the contest, with sophomore transfer
Grace Borys making her Bulldogs debut. Sophomore
McKenzie Burke recorded her first-career kill and added a block assist.
UMD improved to 18-0 all-time against the Beavers, who fell to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the NSIC. The Bulldogs hit .349 with 44 kills and seven attack errors while limiting Minot State to a -.008 hitting percentage, 22 kills and 23 attack errors. UMD also held a 9.0-0.0 advantage in team blocks.
The Maroon and Gold was in control throughout the entire match, but was most impressive in the second set when it hit .472 with 18 kills on 36 attempts and just one attack error. The Bulldogs also notched a .920 sideout percentage in the stanza.
The Bulldogs return to Romano Gymnasium for their 2026 home opener Friday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m. against Northern State. The match will be Hall of Fame Recognition Night. UMD then hosts Jamestown Saturday, Sept. 19, at 12 p.m. for Military Appreciation Day. Both matches will air live on My9 Sports.
