St. Paul, Minn. (Gangelhoff Center) -  Minnesota Duluth started off the NSIC/US Bank Volleyball Tournament with a 3-0 win over Winona State in straight sets (25-16, 25-11, 25-16) at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Bulldogs, who will play in Saturday's semifinal round, drew a favorable opponent having dominating the Warriors  to the tune of a 68-1 advantage in the all-time series.

The nation's fifth-ranked team controlled the game from the service line and threw the Warriors off their game. The Bulldogs built an early 16-6 advantage in the first set and junior outside hitter Kate Lange brought the frame to a close with a precise shot to the back left corner. Lange showed exactly why she was named the 2012 NSIC Player of the Year and a first team All-American a year go by scattering a match-high 22 kills -- marking her 64th straight outing with double-digit kills, dating back to Nov. 18, 2010.

The Bulldogs once again benefited from the serve and jumped out to a 7-1 second set advantage. WSU would rally and close the gap before sophomore libero Julie Rainey made two remarkable back-to-back digs to save points, propelling the Bulldogs to a run of their own.

The Warriors would show more grit in the third and final set with their front line taking control of the net and blocking the Bulldogs on four separate occasions to take a brief lead at 10-9. That wouldn't last long, however, as senior middle  blocker Kalli Lochner and freshman setter Ashley Hinsch combined to stuff the Warriors on back-to-back opportunities, springing a 6-0 run and opening the floodgates for convincing third-set victory.

Hinsch struggled at times, but racked up 32 assists and posted her 1,000th helper of her young career. Lange produced a milestone of her own, hammering her 500th kill of the season. The Hibbing, Minn., native is on pace to leave UMD with more kills to her credit than anyone in program history.

The Bulldogs (28-3 overall) will play against second seeded Southwest Minnesota State University in the semifinals Saturday at 4:30 p.m.