For Immediate Release
Monday, Nov. 4, 2014
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#12 Danielle Rampart OH, 5-10, Fr.,
Trevor, Wis.
Westosha Central HS
Winona State
Rampart led the NSIC in kills and points per set as she led the Warriors to three consecutive sweeps last week against Upper Iowa, Northern State and MSU Moorhead. She averaged five kills and 5.5 points per set while she recorded double-doubles in all three matches. She hit .291 with 38 digs and four service aces in the three sweeps. Rampart had an especially great weekend, contributing 17 kills and 10 digs while hitting .382 and contributing a pair of aces to lead the Warriors to a crucial win over Northern State. She followed up with another great performance Saturday with 14 kills and 15 digs while hitting .355 and another pair of aces to solidify WSU’s perfect week with a win at MSUM.
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#5 Michaela Mestl
OH/DS, 5-6, So.,
Kearney, Neb.
Kearney Catholic HS
Wayne State
Mestl averaged an NSIC high 6.33 digs as the Wildcats went 2-1 last week, with its only loss being a five set thriller at No. 2 Minnesota Duluth. She also collected two double-doubles, highlighted by 38 digs and 14 kills in a 3-1 win over Augustana. The 38 digs versus Augie tied for the fifth-most in a single match in school history. Mestl’s other double double was a 14 kill and 21 dig performance in the loss at UMD Friday.
NSIC Setter of the Week
#8 Ashley Hinsch
S, 5-10, Jr.,
Zumbrota, Minn.
Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS
Minnesota Duluth
Hinsch led a Bulldog offense that hit .316 on the week by averaging 11.73 assists per set (129 total) including a season-high 63 in UMD’s five-set win over No. 11 Wayne State. She added seven kills, a pair of service aces, 23 digs, and six blocks in three victories for the Bulldogs. This marks the fifth time this season Hinsch has been named NSIC Setter of the Week.
2014 NSIC / US Bank Volleyball Tournament
Nov. 11, 14-15, 2014
www.NorthernSun.org/NSICVB
2014 NSIC Volleyball Weekly Notes
Augustana Vikings (16-10, 9-9 NSIC)
www.goaugie.com
Ashley Buckley • Penn State ‘05
7th Season
2013 Record: 22-8, 14-6 NSIC (t-4th)
#5 Brittany Cech (OH, 5-9, So. Omaha, Neb. / Elkhorn South)
- Recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 12 digs against Wayne State.
- Led the Vikings on offense tying a career-best 16 kills in a four-set victory over St. Cloud State
- Recorded four kills in a three-set loss to No.2 UMD
#2 Marissa Johnson (S, 5-8, Fr, Omaha,Neb./Harry A Burke)
- Recorded her 14th double-double of the season with 43 assists and 20 digs in a four-set loss to Wayne State
- Tallied 46 assists against St. Cloud State
- Led the Vikings against No.2 UMD with 13 assists.
#7 Tahlyr Banks (DS, 5-7, Fr. Omaha, Neb. / Gross Catholic)
- Tied a career-best 30 digs against Wayne State
- Led Vikings with 22 assists against SCSU
- Led the defensive side for the Vikings with 14 digs against UMD
- Third in Conference recording 4.84 digs per set
Bemidji State Beavers (5-21, 3-15 NSIC)
www.bsubeavers.com
Wayne Chadwick • Wisconsin-Whitewater ‘88
5th Season
2013 Record: 6-22, 2-18 NSIC (15th)
#14 Amanda Tronick (OH, 6-1, So., Hutchinson, Minn.)
- Led the team with 30 kills (3.00 kills/set) last week, including 17 kills at Minnesota Crookston Tuesday.
- Tied for the team lead with four service aces (0.33 aces/set).
- Contributed defensively as well with four blocks and seven digs.
#3 Courtney Volkmann (S, 5-7, Sr., Wadena, Minn.)
- Recorded 107 assists (8.92 assists/set) in three matches last week.
- Notched 16 kills with a .283 attacking percentage on 46 attempts.
- Finished second on the squad with 28 digs (2.33 digs/set) and also contributed three blocks.
#2 Kayla DeJong (DS, 5-8, Jr., Jefferson, Wis.)
- Averaged 4.58 digs per set in three matches and finished with 55 digs overall.
- Finished second on the team with 20 assists.
- Paced the team in digs in all three matches, including a 27-dig performance at Minnesota Crookston Tuesday.
Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears (23-3, 16-2 NSIC)
www.cugoldenbears.com/
Brady Starkey • Metropolitan State ‘02
11th Season
2013 Record: 35-3, 19-1 NSIC (1st)
#14 Anna Schlaak (OH, 5-9, Jr., New Richland, Minn. / NRHEG HS)
-led CU with 40 kills for an average of 4.44 per set in their three wins
-hit an efficient .468 hitting percentage as she committed just four errors in 77 attempts
-fell two digs shy of the team-lead for the week with 28 for an average of 3.11 per set
-collected at least 11 kills and eight digs in each match
-hit at least .412 in each set
-had 14 kills and 11 digs while hitting .565 against U-Mary on Saturday
-CU went 3-0 against Minnesota State, Minot State and U-Mary
-CU did not drop a set all week
-team hit .340 while holding opponents to just a .100 hitting percentage
-had 18 service aces compared to four for opponents
-collected 24.0 total blocks while opponents had 11.0
University of Mary Marauders (4-23, 1-17 NSIC)
www.goumary.com
Thais Franca
1st Season
2013 Record: 4-23, 1-19 NSIC (16th)
#22 Kelsey Boyd (OH, 6-1, Sr., Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Regina University)
-Led the Marauder offense with 21 kills, 76 attacks and one ace -Had a hand on the defense with 15 digs and two block assists
-Hit .207 against Minnesota State with nine kills on 29 attacks
#3 Janell Finkbeiner (S, 5-8, So., Ramsey, Minn., Elk River HS)
-Directed the offense with 43 assists and one ace
-Helped on the defensive end with 18 digs and one block assist
-Finished with 16 assists and seven digs against Minot State and followed up with 16 assists and four digs against Minnesota State
#18 Allison Adams (MB, 6-0, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Southwest HS) -Recorded two solo blocks and two block assists against Minnesota State along with four kills on eight attacks
-Finished the week with three solo blocks, four block assists, 10 kills, 26 attacks and a .308 attack percentage
-Adams is now one solo block away from tying Laci Murtha for most all-time in Marauders D-II history
Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (11-15, 5-13 NSIC)
www.goldeneaglesports.com
Lee Anderson • University of Ottawa ‘98
8th Season
2013 Record: 15-14, 10-10 NSIC (t-7th)
Kelci Green (R-Fr., MH, Anoka, Minn.) has been dominant for the Golden Eagles in recent weeks. In a five set match against Southwest Minnesota State, she tallied one solo block and 11 block assists for 12 total blocks as the Golden Eagles battled toe-to-toe with No. 8 SMSU. The Golden Eagles tallied 18 total blocks on the match. Green added four kills for the match and hit .154. Against Sioux Falls Friday, Green had nine kills and just one error and hit .500 and added two solo blocks and one block assist in a 3-0 loss to the Cougars.
The Golden Eagles will wrap up the 2014 season on the road against Wayne State College and Augustana College. UMC is 11-15 (5-12 NSIC) coming into the weekend.
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (25-1, 18-0 NSIC)
www.umdbulldogs.com
Jim Boos • UW–Oshkosh ‘94
13th Season
2013 Record: 33-3, 18-2 NSIC (2nd)
#14 Mariah Scharf (OH, 5-10, Jr., Loretto, Minn./Orono H.S.)
- Knocked down a team-high 49 kills in three wins for the Bulldogs, including a career-high 26 in Friday night’s 3-2 victory over No. 11 Wayne State
- Hit .365 while averaging 4.45 kills per set with just 11 errors in 104 swings.
- Collected three blocks (one solo) and six digs to go with her offensive numbers
#9 Julie Rainey (Lib, 5-9, Sr., Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville H.S.)
- Averaged 5.27 digs per set in three victories for UMD, collecting 58 on the week, while opponents hit just .099 against the Bulldogs
- Had 20 digs in a three-set victory over St. Cloud State on Tuesday night while also adding 23 in the Bulldogs’ 3-2 win over No. 11 Wayne State on Friday
- Added seven set assists and three service aces to her defensive stats on the week
#8 Ashley Hinsch (S, 5-10, Jr., Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa H.S.)
- Led a Bulldog offense that hit .316 on the week by averaging 11.73 assists per set (129 total) including a season-high 63 in UMD’s five-set win over No. 11 Wayne State
- Added seven kills, a pair of service aces, 23 digs, and six blocks in three victories for the Bulldogs
Minnesota State Mavericks (16-9, 12-6 NSIC)
www.msumavericks.com
Dennis Amundson • St. Cloud State ‘69
10th Season
2013 Record: 13-15, 8-12 NSIC (t-9th)
Sydney Powell (OH, 5-10, Fr., Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes Area
- 37 kills; 4.11 k/s
- 5 total blocks
- 7 digs
- 1 assist
Haley Fogarty (DS, 5-8, So., Belle Plaine, Minn. / Belle Plaine)
- 33 digs; 3.67 dig/s
- 4 assists
- 1 service ace
Ellie Van De Steeg (S, 5-9, Jr., Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson)
- 119 assists; 13.22 a/s
- 9 kills
- 2 service aces
- 18 digs
- 3 total blocks
Mavericks own a 16-9 overall record and are 12-6 in NSIC play after going 2-1 this past week. MSU lost to Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday before sweeping both the University of Mary and Minot State to round out the week.
The Mavericks will be on the road for their final two regular season matches of the year. MSU will do battle with Northern State on Friday before traveling up to MSU Moorhead on Saturday.
MSU Moorhead Dragons (10-16, 5-13 NSIC)
www.msumdragons.com
Tammy Kath-Blake • South Dakota ‘89
20th Season
2013 Record: 15-13, 8-12 NSIC (t-9th)
Kaitlin VanWinkle (MB, 5-11, Jr., Farmington, Minn./Lakeville South HS)
-45 kills in three matches for the Dragons
-Team high 18 kills in five set match against Upper Iowa
-Had 15 kills and hit .394 in 33 attack attempts in match against Northern State
-Hit .314 in 108 attack errors in three matches over the week
-Added 16 digs, two assists, and a service ace
Defense
Kelsey Hartkopf (MB, 5-10, So., Howard Lake, Minn./Dassel-Cokato HS)
-Had 18 total blocks in the Dragons’ three matches
-Posted a career high 10 blocks in five set match against Upper Iowa
-Had six blocks in Northern State match
-Added 11 kills and four digs over the week
Setter
Casie Baer (S, 5-8, Jr., Canby, Minn./Canby HS)
-Posted 64 digs in three matches to lead the Dragons
-Had 24 assists and three service aces in four set loss to Northern State
-Also posted 35 digs to help the Dragon back row defense
-Added four kills over the week on sneak attack attempts from the setter position
Minot State Beavers (9-18, 6-12 NSIC)
www.msubeavers.com
Travis Ward • Western Oregon
3rd Season
2013 Record: 12-18, 7-13 NSIC (13th)
-The Minot State volleyball team had their four-game winning streak come to an end when they traveled to No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul to begin their two-game road trip this past weekend. The Beavers fell in straight sets to the Golden Bears. The following day, Minot State looked to get back on the winning side of things as they traveled to Minnesota State-Mankato, but once again the Beavers were handed a three-game sweep. Despite what seemed to be a lopsided score, the Beavers did not lose any of their three sets against the Mavericks by more than four points and the Beavers forced extra points in the second set of the match.
-#14 Mallory Sall (OH, 6-0, Jr., Port Coquitlam, British Columbia/Riverside Secondary) didn’t have one of her best performances for the Beavers against Concordia-St. Paul, but the junior outside hitter had one of her best games of the season against Minnesota State-Mankato. Sall recorded a game-high 16 kills in just three sets and ended with a .314 hitting percentage. Sall also did well defensively, recording 8 digs, the most she’s recorded in the past 11 games.
-#4 Jen Dixon (OH, 5-9, Sr., Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) continued to be one of the Beavers most consistent players this weekend as she recorded 8 kills in the match against Concordia and 10 kills in the match against Minnesota State-Mankato. Dixon ended each match with a .240 and a .242 hitting percentage respectively and also recorded a total of 23 digs on the weekend.
-#18 Cindy Pelo (L, 5-6, Jr., Idaho Falls, Idaho/Skyline) wasn’t able to make her usual impact on the game against Concordia this past Friday, but Pelo came up huge in the Beavers’ defeat to Minnesota State-Mankato. Pelo recorded 18 digs, good for six per set, nearly two digs per set above her season average.
-Minot State closes out their 2014 season this weekend at home when they welcome Upper Iowa and Winona State to the Minot State Dome. The Beavers will honor seniors Jen Dixon and Emily Byrne Saturday evening for their accomplishments in the program and they’ll be specially recognized for holding the all-time kills record and all-time assists record at Minot State respectively.
Northern State Wolves (18-8, 11-7 NSIC)
www.northernstatewolves.com
Brent Aldridge • South Dakota ‘92
4th Season
2013 Record: 22-8, 14-6 NSIC (t-4th)
Drew Smith, S, Jr., Ames, Iowa, Ames HS
Smith set a program record with 70 assists in Northern’s five-set victory over Upper Iowa on Saturday. Smith also set a career-high with 22 digs in the win and also added a team-best two service aces. For the weekend, Smith averaged 11.25 assists per set and had a pair of double-doubles as she averaged 4.13 digs per set. Smith also had four aces in the two matches.
Sioux Falls Cougars (16-12, 10-8 NSIC)
www.usfcougars.com
Joel McCartney • Graceland College ‘87
4th Season
2013 Record: 19-12, 10-10 NSIC (t-7th)
#8 Emily Johnson (OH, 5-11, Sr., Platte, S.D./Platte-Geddes HS)
- led team with 27 kills (4.50/set) while hitting two career milestones
- tallied 1,500th career kill with 17 kills (5.67/set) in sweep of Minnesota Crookston
- also posted a team-high .467 (17-3-30) attack percentage against UMC
- reached 1,000th career kill with 11 in sweep at Bemidji State
- Also hit 10 kills for ninth double-double of the season
- finished weekend with .393 attack percentage (27-5-56)
#9 Kayla Crane (S, 5-9, Fr., Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS)
- led team to a .324 attack percentage with 59 assists (9.83/set)
- posted 36 assists (12.00/set)in sweep over Bemidji State
- dished out 23 assists (7.67/set) in sweep of Minnesota Crookston
- recorded 10 digs, two kills, and a service ace
#5 Abby Folk (L, 5-9, So. Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS)
- led team with 24 digs (4.0/set)
- posted 14 digs (4.67/set) in sweep of Bemidji State
- added two assists and two service aces over the weekend
University of Sioux Falls moved into sole possession of eighth place after two road sweeps on their final trip of the regular season. USF combined to hit .324 over the weekend as the top three Cougars all cleared .340 led by Emily Johnson’s 27 kills and .393 attack percentage. Johnson also cleared two milestones over the weekend, reaching her 1,500th career kill in the win over Minnesota Crookston and surpassing her 1,000th career dig in the USF sweep over Bemidji State one day later. USF returns home to finish the season with matches against Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
SMSU Mustangs (19-7, 14-4 NSIC)
www.smsumustangs.com
Terry Culhane • Southwest Minnesota State ‘78 11th Season
2013 Record: 24-8, 17-3 NSIC (3rd)
#14 Kenzie Beekman (OH, 5-10, Fr., Marshall, Minn. / Marshall)
-Lead the Mustangs with 45 kills last week while hitting .156
-Ties for first on the team with kills with 312
-Racked up a week-high 16 kills versus Sioux Falls
#6 Megan Larson (S, 5-9, Fr., Minneota, Minn. / Minneota)
-Posted 142 assists last week for a 10.14 assist/set average
-Recorded seven service aces as well
-Recorded a pair of double-doubles to earn her eighth of the season
-Totaled 718 assists this season
#3 Whitney Burmeister (L, 5-9, Jr., Lakefield, Minn. / Jackson County Central)
-Recorded 61 digs to lead the defense this weekend
-Week-high 26 digs versus Minnesota Crookston
-Leads the team with 418 digs
St. Cloud State Huskies (7-19, 1-17 NSIC)
www.scsuhuskies.com
Marci Taumalolo • Minnesota ‘07
1st Season
2013 Record: 14-14, 8-12 NSIC (t-9th)
- Erin Ohlemann (Golden Valley, Minn.) is ranked eighth in the conference in assists. Ohlemann averages 9.62 assists per set.
- Brianne Stamer (Hutchinson, Minn.) ranks second in the NSIC in digs. Stamer has totaled 445 on the season, averaging 5.06 digs per set.
- Kaitlin Doughty (Tomahawk, Wis.) leads the Huskies offensively. Doughty has recorded 238 kills this season, averaging 2.70 kills per set.
- Allison Butler (Burnsville, Minn.) posts a team-high 21 service aces.
-SCSU averages a .172 attack percentage and 12.38 kills per set as a team.
- The Huskies took on Southwest Minnesota State University earlier this (Sept. 20) and fell 0-3.
- SCSU defeated the University of Sioux Falls, 3-0 on Sept. 19.
Upper Iowa Peacocks (11-15, 6-12 NSIC)
www.upperiowaathletics.com
Aaron Nelson • St. Cloud State ‘99
4th Year
2013 Record: 8-22, 4-16 NSIC (14th)
Jennifer Mundt (OH, 5-11, Utica, Minn., Lewiston-Altura HS)
- First junior at Upper Iowa to reach 1,000-Kill milestone
- Reset the single-season mark for kills with 406 (2 matches still to play)
- Recorded 61 kills (4.69/set)
- Added 51 digs (3.92/set) and 12 blocks (0.92/set)
Amanda Weiss (Lib., 5-7, West Bend, Wis., Kettle Moraine Lutheran HS)
- Registered 68 digs (5.23/set)
- Added 5 aces and 5 assists in her final home week
- Upper Iowa went 1-2 in the week; the win came in five sets over MSU Moorhead
- Lost to Winona State 3-0, but had set point in the first and a late, three-point lead in the second
- Lost a five-set thriller to Northern State; only one point separated the teams on the day
- Hailey Brown had a triple-double against Northern State and recorded 67 assists, 30 kills and 29 digs in the week as well as 6 blocks
- Tyann Caspers (26 kills) and Alisha VanderWoude (23) both added offense for the Peacocks at the net
- Haylie Franklin led the team in blocks with 13 (1.0/set)
- The Peacocks will close out their season with matches at Minot State University and the University of Mary this Friday and Saturday
Wayne State Wildcats (22-5, 14-4 NSIC)
www.wscwildcats.com
Scott Kneifl • Wayne State College ‘95
10th Season
2013 Record: 22-10, 12-8 NSIC (6th)
#8 Katie Hughes, 5-11 Jr. OH Seward, Neb. (Seward HS)
- averaged 3.33 kills and 4.58 digs per set in three matches
- had three double-doubles during the week and now has eight in her last nine matches
- recorded 15 kills and 13 digs in 3-1 win over Augustana Tuesday and had 28 digs with 12 kills in 3-2 loss at #2 Minnesota Duluth Friday night with 13 kills and 14 digs vs. St. Cloud State Saturday in 3-0 sweep
#7 Leisa McClintock 5-7 Jr. Setter Sioux City, Iowa (Bishop Heelan HS)
- averaged at 10.08 assists and 1.67 digs per set in three matches
- handed out 53 assists in 3-1 win over Augustana and had 41 assists with eight digs in a 3-2 loss at #2 Minnesota Duluth Friday night
#5 Michaela Mestl 5-6 sophomore OH/DS Kearney, Neb. (Kearney Catholic HS)
- averaged 6.33 digs and 2.50 kills per set in three matches last week
- had two double-doubles, highlighted by 38 digs and 14 kills in 3-1 win over Augustana.
- The 38 digs vs. Augustana tied for the fifth-most in a single match in school history
- recorded 14 kills and 21 digs in 3-2 loss at #2 Minnesota Duluth Friday night
Winona State Warriors (18-6, 13-5 NSIC)
www.winonastatewarriors.com
Joe Getzin • George Williams ‘86
1st Season
2013 Record: 11-18, 8-12 NSIC (t-9th)
#12 Danielle Rampart (OH, 5-10, Fr., Trevor, Wis. / Westosha Central HS)
- Rampart continued her terrific freshman season with a fantastic all-around effort to lead the Warriors to three consecutive 3-0 sweeps last weekend against Upper Iowa, Northern State and MSU Moorhead.
- Recorded double-doubles in all three matches while hitting .291 with 38 digs and four service aces in the three sweeps.
- Was the match-leader in kills in all three matchups.
- Had an especially great weekend, contributing 17 kills and 10 digs while hitting .382 and contributing a pair of aces to lead the Warriors to a crucial win over Northern State.
- Followed up with another very great performance Saturday with 14 kills and 15 digs while hitting .355 and another pair of aces to solidify WSU’s perfect week.
#3 Jamie Cairncross (L, 5-6, So., Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie HS)
- Cairncross was a crucial component in the Warriors’ three 3-0 sweeps last week providing stellar defense with a combined 54 digs and a match-high in all three matches.
- Began the week with a match-high 20-dig effort at Upper Iowa while also picking up four assists in a 3-0 win.
- Came up big in a crucial matchup vs. Northern State with a match-high 16 digs.
- Added yet another match-high with 18 digs and also contributed seven assists – tied for a season high – to finish up the Warriors’ perfect weekend.
Winona State (18-6, 13-5 NSIC) concludes its regular season with one final road trip this weekend when it travels to U-Mary on Friday and finishes up with a 6 p.m. match at Minot State. The Warriors currently sit in fifth place in the NSIC, just one game back of Wayne State and Southwest Minnesota State for fourth.
Past NSIC Players of the Week
9/8/14
Off: Brittany Looker, UMC
Def: Tahlyr Banks, Augie
Set: Hailey Brown, UIU
9/15/14
Off: Monica Turner, UMD
Def: Brianne Stamer, SCSU
Set: Ashley Hinsch, UMD
9/22/14
Off: Monica Turner, UMD (2)
Def: Julie Rainey, UMD
Set: Ashley Hinsch, UMD (2)
9/29/14
Off: Riley Hanson, CU
Def: Julie Rainey, UMD (2)
Set: Ashley Hinsch, UMD (3)
10/6/14
Off: Jennifer Mundt, UIU
Def: Julie Rainey, UMD (3)
Set: Leisa McClinton, WSC
10/13/14
Off: Mariah Scharf, UMD
Def: Amanda Weiss, UIU
Set: Ashley Hinsch, UMD (4)
10/20/14
Off: Anna Schlaak, CU
Def: Whitney Burmeister, SMSU
Set: Kasey Williams, CU
10/27/14
Off: Riley Hanson, CU (2)
Def: Julie Rainey, UMD (4)
Set: Leisa McClinton, WSC (2)
11/3/14
Off: Danielle Rampart, WSU
Def: Michaela Mestl, WSC
Set: Ashley Hinsch, UMD (5)
The 2014 NSIC regular season champion will be determined by the 20-game conference schedule. The top eight teams will play in the single elimination
NSIC/US Bank Volleyball Tournament on November 11, 14-15. Quarterfinals will be hosted on campus by the top four seeds while the semifinals and championship will be hosted by the highest remaining seed following the first round of play.
#NSICVB