UMD Senior Kate Berg ready to lead young volleyball team

A lot can change in two years. That’s the last time the UMD Volleyball Team played a game.

In the 2019 season, UMD had five seniors. Fast forward to now and there is just one, Kate Berg.

Coach Jim Boos knows they will primarily be relying on a young squad this season.

"That’s what really excites me about this group – the potential that it has. I think it’s going to take some time to really train, learn, and grow, so the team that we see that starts early in September is not going to be the team we see later on in November as the season progresses," said Boos.

The Bulldogs will look to Berg to lead. In the 2019 season, she led the team in kills with 472, while finishing second on the team in digs with 342.

She says she is looking forward to leading some of the younger pack of Bulldogs.

"I think for me, I’ve always had a leadership responsibility since I started as a freshman, so I think that role has just changed over the course of the last few years, and especially through COVID, it definitely has made me need to vocalize a lot more with our underclassmen," said Berg.

The team is ranked number two in the NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

During their last full season in 2019, UMD posted an overall record of 25-7, while notching an impressive 16-4 record in NSIC play.

The Bulldogs also secured a birth in the NCAA tournament.

The Bulldogs open up the season on September 2 at Michigan Tech.