The UMD football team returns undefeated at 6-0 to Malosky Stadium for a homecoming date against Northern State at 1 p.m. Saturday. The UMD men’s hockey team returns to AMSOIL Arena Friday at 7 p.m. after a strong showing at the Icebreaker tournament at Notre Dame. The women’s hockey team, fresh from a shootout victory over No. 1 Minnesota, hits the road to North Dakota this weekend.
But the biggest triumph for UMD last weekend remains the No. 2 nationally ranked volleyball team’s stunning three-game sweep against Concordia of St. Paul. The Bulldogs used tremendous balance and skill to halt the seven-time defending NCAA Division 2 champion Golden Bears, then followed it up by sweeping Bemidji State Tuesday night.
That runs UMD’s record to 18-1 overall and 11-0 in Northern Sun play, while No. 3 Concordia drops to 15-3, and 8-2.
More remarkable is that after losing their only match of the season to No. 1 Tampa back in mid-September, the Bulldogs went on a game-winning spree that counted 25 straight games before losing the second game of a four-game triumph at Upper Iowa. Right after that, the Bulldogs won the next two at Upper Iowa, then came home to sweep Minnesota State-Mankato last Friday, Concordia on Saturday, and Bemidji State Tuesday. If you’re counting, that means UMD has won 36 of its last 37 games.
This weekend, University of Mary comes to Romano Gym on Friday at 7 p.m., and Minot State visits on homecoming Saturday at 4 p.m., right after the football game.
The victory over Concordia will stand out, however, at least until November 4 when the teams collide again at Concordia. For one thing, Concordia not only has won in the NSIC -- the toughest Division 2 league in college volleyball -- but has won seven consecutive regional titles, and an incomprehensible seven consecutive NCAA D-2 championships.
With a strong crowd of 1,100 filling the gym, UMD had a tough struggle in the first game, which went back and forth until reaching 22-all. Concordia pulled ahead 23-22, and 24-23, putting the Bulldogs up against the wall. They tied it 24-24, and then the Bulldogs had the upper hand at 25-24, 26-25, 27-26, but the Golden Bears kept battling back to tie.
At 27-all, UMD gained a key point when Mariah Scharf went up against two blockers, but instead of pounding a kill attempt, she tapped a soft lob, just over the outstretched hands of the blockers, for the pont that made it 28-27. Maddy Siroin then blocked a Concordia kill attempt for a tough 29-27 victory. Katie Ledwell and Monica Turner both had five kills, while Scharf had four.
“After that game, I expected a long afternoon just like that,” said UMD coach Jim Boos. “I was pleasantly surprised when we got a little separation in the second game, but I told our players to not be surprised that Concordia is not going to stop playing hard. And they didn’t.”
Concordia gained the early advantage in the second game, and led 4-2 before UMD hit an impressive rhythm for seven straight points and a 9-4 lead, fighting off a Concordia rally that closed the gap to 21-20. Mariah Scharf came up with two big kill shots and Siroin added another, as UMD won 25-22. Scharf and Maddy Siroin had six kills each in Game 2, and Ledwell again had five kills.
Halfway through that second game, UMD led 14-11 and Ledwell went down in the second row for a dig. The spiked ball hit her right in the face. “I didn’t get hit in the face,” she insisted. Her parents assured her it had, but apparently she was so caught up in the intensity of the game that she was unaware of her amazing attempt to keep the ball alive.
After the break, UMD came back on the court and immediately took control, jumping off to a 5-0 lead, stretching it to 16-3 before Concordia tried to rally. But the early lead was too much to overcome, and the Bulldogs won 25-17. Siroin had four kills and Ledwell three. For the three games, Ledwell led the team with 13, Siroin had 12 and Scharf 11 to pace the attack, although UMD’s stifling defense was as much a factor in the victory.
“We battled hard and defended well,” said Boos. “That’s the secret to winning -- to make plays when it counts. The best thing is that we’ll play them again at their place, but that will be nonconference, because this was the only match we have that will count in the league standings.”

 John Gilbert has been writing sports for over 30 years. Formerly with the Star Tribune and WCCO. He currently hosts a daily radio show on KDAL AM.

Bulldog Women Top Gophers in Shootout

Katerina Mrazova and Meghan Huertas may not be UMD’s best-known scorers, but when last Saturday night’s rematch against the University of Minnesota boiled over to a shootout, both of them scored on goaltender Amanda Leveille, giving the Bulldogs a shootout victory after their 3-3 tie.
UMD’s women’s hockey team has always had intense games with the University of Minnesota, but in recent years it seems the Bulldogs have had to settle for a lot of moral victories. When the No. 1 ranked Golden Gophers squelched UMD 3-0 on Friday night’s series opener, it looked like more of the same.
“It was not a 3-0 game,” protested coach Shannon Miller. “We played extremely well. We deserved better.”
The Bulldogs were victimized by a questionable penalty shot call in the first period, but goaltender Kayla Black came up with the big save. Still, Dani Cameranesi scored on a power play for a 1-0 Gopher lead. “That came with five seconds left in the power play,” Miller pointed out.
UMD played a forceful second period, staying disciplined and outplaying the Gophers most of the session, but it stayed 1-0.
Then it was up to Hannah Brandt, the top returning scorer for the Gophers, to score on a deflection midway through the third period, and Brandt scored again with a deadly power-play shot top right with 1:15 left for the 3-0 final.
“That’s Hannah Brandt,” said Gopher coach Brad Frost, after his ace sniper remained pretty well unnoticeable most of the game, then rose up to score -- twice - when the chances arose. “She’s deceptively fantastic.”
Meanwhile, Miller might have been trying to psyche up her players with her post-Game 1 comments, but her Bulldogs responded with an even stronger performance in Saturday’s rematch.
It helped when the Bulldogs got off to a good start as senior defenseman Emma Stauber scored with a shot that ticked a defenseman’s stick on its way into the right edge, on UMD’s first shot, at 5:47 of the first period.
Jenna McParland made it 2-0 for the Bulldogs in the second period, but Brandt got one back with a deflection for her fifth goal of the young season with 17 seconds left in the middle period. The Bulldogs got a power play early in the third period, and freshman Michelle Loenhielm scored from the right point at 3:36 to put UMD ahead 3-1.
 Kayla Black was playing well in goal, but the Gophers put on some good pressure in the third period. Meghan Lorence scored at 8:27 to cut it to 3-2, then Brandt came through yet again, her second goal of the game and sixth of the season, for a 3-3 tie with 5:03 remaining.
Blowing a two-goal lead was not exactly the prescription for momentum, but the teams battled through a scoreless overtime, which assured both teams of a point, and then came the shootout.
Miller chose Brigette Lacquette, Huertas, and Jenna McParland as her three shooters. Frost selected Melica McMillen, Brandt, and Rachael Bona. Leveille stopped Lacquette and Kayla Black stopped McMillen. Then Huertas sailed in, beat Leveille with a great deke and lifted a backhand into the wide open right edge.
“It was tough when we got ahead 3-1 and we were playing so awesome, but then lost the lead,” said Huertas. “But I was proud of our team. We played our game and stuck with our system. In the shootout, coach believed in me and I saw an opening.”
But Brandt came in on Black and drilled her shot through for the equalizer. The Gophers “deceptively fantastic” sniper had four goals in the two games, and another in the shootout. MacParland tried next but her shot was smothered. Bona had her turn, and Black stopped her. That sent the shootout into sudden death, ang gave Mrazova her chance.
“I’ve done lots of shootouts in the Czech Republic,” said Mrazova. “I was confident, and I knew what I wanted to do.”
What she did was to beat Leveille with a highlight film deke, cutting wide left and sliding her shot behind the goalie into the open net.
The Gophers countered with defenseman Rachel Ramsey, but as she skated in, her shot missed the net, and UMD’s skaters poured off the bench to congratulate Black.
Being able to hang on and win the shootout against the top-rated Gophers should make this weekend’s trip to North Dakota considerably more upbeat.