Lady Dogs Conference Champs

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

The University of Minnesota Duluth won its 21st consecutive match, claiming an outright Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship in the process with a dominating three-set sweep of the University of Sioux Falls

NSIC Player of the Year, junior setter Ashley Hinsch punctuated the victory for UMD (27-1, 19-0 NSIC) with a service ace that secured the Bulldogs’ most dominant single game victory of the season, 25-5, in the third set and UMD’s solo conference championship since 2007, when the Bulldogs competed in the now-defunct North Central Conference, and the first in the NSIC since 2002 (UMD tied with Concordia University, St. Paul in 2011, and CU and Southwest Minnesota State in 2012). The 25-18, 25-12, 25-5 victory also earned the Bulldogs the top overall seed in next week’s NSIC/U.S. Bank postseason tournament, beginning Tuesday night at Romano Gym. Sioux Falls (16-13, 10-9 NSIC) keeps its playoff hopes alive, battling for the final spot in the field.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Hinsch collected 46 assists, leading a UMD offense that hit .516 as all four of UMD’s All-NSIC attackers hitter double digits. Sophomore middle blocker Sydnie Mauch led the way with 13, while junior outside hitter Mariah Scharf had 12. Junior middle Monica Turner and senior right side hitter Maddy Siroin had 10, while senior Katie Ledwell also added nine. The Bulldogs had just six attack errors compared to 55 kills, with Mauch, Turner, and Ledwell perfect on the night.
• NSIC Libero of the Year, senior Julie Rainey, hauled in 15 of UMD’s 54 digs. Hinsch completed a double-double with 10 digs, while Siroin just missed her own with nine. Ledwell finished second on UMD with 12, playing a part in two of the Bulldogs’ five blocks. Mauch also led in that category with four block assists on the night.

Sioux Falls took an early lead in the opening set but UMD scored four-straight points to take an 8-5 lead and never looked back. The Cougars would keep the score close, trailing just 20-16, but UMD went on another four-point run and held on to claim a 25-18 game one win. UMD never trailed in the second or third set, opening up an 11-1 lead in game three, and scoring the final six points after USF closed the gap to 19-5, to walk away with the team’s largest margin of victory in a single game this season.

Sioux Falls hit just .127 on the night with 26 kills and 13 attack errors. Senior outside hitter Kate Hart and junior right side hitter Michelle Ritland finished with a team-high seven kills. USF’s setters combined for 23 assists, while sophomore libero Abby Folk had 12 digs to lead the Cougars.

UP NEXT
UMD will close out the regular season tomorrow with a top-ten showdown against No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State University with an undefeated NSIC season on the line. Opening serve is set for 4:00 p.m. in Marshall, Minnesota