For Immediate Release
Monday, Sept. 29, 2014
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#5 Riley Hanson
MB, 5-11, So.,
Nevis, Minn.
Nevis HS
Concordia-St. Paul
Hanson led CU with 34 kills (3.78 per set) in the Golden Bears’ three sweeps at Upper Iowa, U-Mary and Minot State. She hit .500 on the week committing only five errors on 58 attempts. Her top act was a 14-0-19 performance against Minot State, where her .737 hitting percentage ranked sixth best in school history. Hanson ranks third in the NSIC with a .400 hitting percentage on the season.
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#9 Julie Rainey
Lib, 5-9, Sr.,
Stewartville, Minn.
Stewartville HS
Minnesota Duluth
Rainey averaged 6.33 digs per set, hauling in 57 on the week without a single reception error through three matches. She collected 24 digs in UMD’s 3-0 victory over No. 17 Wayne State on Saturday afternoon, her second-highest total for the season. She also added an NSIC high six service aces on the week and added seven assists. This marks the second week in a row Rainey has been named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week.
NSIC Setter of the Week
#8 Ashley Hinsch
S, 5-10, Jr.,
Zumbrota, Minn.
Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS
Minnesota Duluth
Hinsch continued to put up career-best numbers with 119 assists in three matches, averaging an NSIC high 13.22 per set last week. She posted double-doubles in both matches over the weekend against a pair of ranked opponents with 35 assists and 11 digs against No. 21 Augustana and 41 assists and 11 digs against No. 17 Wayne State. She had 43 assists while also adding three kills and a pair of blocks against Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday. Hinsch finished the week with five kills on 13 attacks (.308), one sercie ace, 29 digs, and a pair of blocks. This marks the third week in a row Hinsch has been named NSIC Setter of the Week.
2014 NSIC Volleyball Weekly Notes
Augustana Vikings (11-3, 4-2 NSIC)
www.goaugie.com
Ashley Buckley • Penn State ‘05
7th Season
2013 Record: 22-8, 14-6 NSIC (t-4th)
#9 Courtney Ysker (OH, 5-9, Sr, Windom, Minn. / Windom Area)
- Led the Vikings with 12 kills against St. Cloud State
- Recorded seventh double-double of the season with 18 kills and 12 digs in a five-set victory against SMSU
- Team-best nine kills against UMD
- 19 kills away for joining 1,000-kill club
- Leads team with 3.80 kills per set
- Averages 3.02 digs per set
- Ninth place in NSIC with 3.62 kills per set
#2 Marissa Johnson (S, 5-7, Jr, Omaha, Neb. /Harry A. Burke)
- Recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 19 assists and 13 digs in a sweep against St. Cloud State.
- Team-best 22 assists against SMSU
- 20 assists against SCSU
- Averages 7.87 assists per set
#7 Tahlyr Banks (DS, 5-7, Fr, Omaha, Neb. /Gross Catholic)
- Totaled 58 digs last week of play in three matches
- Averages 4.69 digs per set
- Team-best 24 digs against SCSU
- Seventh place in NSIC with 4.29 digs per set.
Bemidji State Beavers (3-10, 1-5 NSIC)
www.bsubeavers.com
Wayne Chadwick • Wisconsin-Whitewater ‘88
5th Season
2013 Record: 6-22, 2-18 NSIC (15th)
#9 Jessica Yost (OH, 6-3, So., Bemidji, Minn.)
- Totaled 26 kills (2.89/per set) last week against St. Cloud State, Sioux Falls and SMSU
- Led the Beavers in kills all three matches
- Had four service aces and six blocks total in the three matches
- Hit .188 in 85 attack attempts last week
#3 Courtney Volkmann (S, 5-7, Sr., Wadena, Minn.)
- With 69 assists (7.67 assists/set) in three matches last week, Volkmann continues to move closer to sixth place on BSU’s all-time assist list. BSU’s senior setter needs 209 more assists to move into a tie with Amy Soehren (1992-95)
- Contributed defensively with 23 digs (2.56 digs/set)
- Currently ranks tenth in the NSIC with 9.44 assists per set
#2 Kayla DeJong (DS, 5-8, Jr., Jefferson, Minn.)
- Registered 43 digs last week (4.78 per set)
- Posted double-digit dig totals in all three matches, including a 17-dig performance vs. St. Cloud State Tuesday
- Currently sixth in the NSIC with 227 digs and eighth in the conference with 4.45 digs per set
Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears (12-2, 5-1 NSIC)
www.cugoldenbears.com/
Brady Starkey • Metropolitan State ‘02
11th Season
2013 Record: 35-3, 19-1 NSIC (1st)
#5 Riley Hanson (MB, 5-11, So., Nevis, Minn. / HS)
-led CU with 34 kills (3.78 per set) in the Golden Bears’ three sweeps
-hit .500 and committed only five errors on 58 attempts
-had a 14-0-19 performance against Minot State
-her .737 hitting percentage against the Beavers was sixth best in school history
-ranks third in the NSIC with a .400 hitting percentage on the season
#15 Kasey Williams (S, 5-8, Jr., Cross Plains, Wis. / Middleton HS)
-collected 115 assists (12.78 per set) in CU’s three wins
-ranked second on the team with 26 digs (2.89 per set)
-had five total blocks (0.56 per set)
-picked up at least 37 assists in each match
-had her seventh double-double on the year with 37 assists and 13 digs against UIU
-guided the team to a .321 hitting percentage
-CU swept Upper Iowa, U-Mary and Minot State
-didn’t drop a single set all week
-held opponents to .105 hitting
-had 22.0 total blocks compared to 7.0 for their opponents
University of Mary Marauders (3-12, 0-6 NSIC)
www.goumary.com
Thais Franca
1st Season
2013 Record: 4-23, 1-19 NSIC (16th)
#20 Lauren Randall (OH, 6-0, Fr., Eagan, Minn., Burnsville HS) -Was very active on the floor for the Marauders with eight kills on 38 attacks in two matches -Led all Marauders with three aces over the weekend -Also had one assist and six digs for an all around performance
#2 Alex Brown (DS, 5-4, So., Coon Rapids, Minn., Blaine HS) -Anchored the defense with 15 digs in two matches -Averaged 2.5 digs per set -Finished the Concordia-St. Paul match with no receiving errors
#3 Janell Finkbeiner (S, 5-8, So., Ramsey, Minn., Elk River HS) -Directed the offense with 22 assist in two matches -Help the Marauder defense with seven digs over the weekend -Also added two kills on four attacks with no errors
Next week the Marauders travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., to take on University of Sioux Falls on Friday, October 3.
-U-Mary is 0-3 all-time vs. USF
The Marauders will then travel to Marshall, Minn., to take on #7 Southwest Minnesota State -U-Mary is 0-14 all-time vs. SMSU
Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (7-7, 1-5 NSIC)
www.goldeneaglesports.com
Lee Anderson • University of Ottawa ‘98
8th Season
2013 Record: 15-14, 10-10 NSIC (t-7th)
The University of Minnesota Crookston went 0-3 on the week as they fell to No. 2 University of Minnesota Duluth 3-0, No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State University 3-0 and University of Sioux Falls 3-2.
The Golden Eagles had a hard-fought tussle with the Cougars Saturday, but unfortunately came up on the losing end of things despite Brittany Looker’s 27 kills. Looker needs just 27 kills to break Allison Kluck’s record for career kills. In addition, she needs just 41 digs to surpass 1,000 digs. The 1,000 digs would make her third player in school history to accomplish 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, joining Kendra Corneliusen and Joan Ebnet.
Looker continues to lead the way for the team overall with 4.59 kills per set and a .210 hitting percentage. On the right side, Kassi Green comes in with 1.88 kills per set and a .195 hitting percentage. Setter Sierra Trost is averaging 9.69 assists per set. Defensively, Mary Mikutowski leads the way with 3.50 digs per set, while Morgan VanGerpen leads the block with 1.08 blocks per set, while Erin Schwarz is averaging 1.00 blocks per set.
The Golden Eagles will head to Minnesota State University, Mankato and seven-time defending National Champion Concordia University, St. Paul this weekend.
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (13-1, 6-0 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.)
- Led the UMD attack with 37 kills on the week (4.11 per-set average) while hitting .244 through a trio of three-set sweeps for the Bulldogs
- Tied her season-high with 18 kills against Minnesota-Crookston on Tuesday evening while also adding a pair of blocks to lead the UMD offense
- Collected five blocks, including one solo, four digs, and an assist, totaling 40.0 points on the week
#9 Julie Rainey (Lib, 5-9, Sr., Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville H.S.)
- Averaged 6.33 digs per set, hauling in 57 on the week without a single reception error through three matches
- Collected 24 digs in UMD’s 3-0 victory over No. 17 Wayne State on Saturday afternoon, her second-highest total for the season
- Had six service aces on the week, the most of any Bulldog, and also added seven assists
#8 Ashley Hinsch (S, 5-10, Jr., Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa H.S.)
- Continued to put up career-best numbers with 119 assists in three matches, averaging 13.22 per-game
- Posted double-doubles in both matches over the weekend against a pair of ranked opponents with 35 assists and 11 digs against No. 21 Augustana and 41 assists and 11 digs against No. 17 Wayne State
- Had 43 assists while also adding three kills and a pair of blocks against Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday
- finished the week with five kills on 13 attacks (.308), one sercie ace, 29 digs, and a pair of blocks.
Minnesota State Mavericks (9-4, 5-1 NSIC)
www.msumavericks.com
Dennis Amundson • St. Cloud State ‘69
10th Season
2013 Record: 13-15, 8-12 NSIC (t-9th)
Chandra Honebrink (OH, 5-11, Senior, Waconia, Minn./ Waconia)
- 31 kills; 2.82 k/s
- 5 assists
- 5 service aces
- 25 digs, 8 total blocks
Haley Fogarty (DS, 5-8, So., Belle Plaine, Minn./ Belle Plaine)
- 36 digs; 3.27 dig/s
- 4 assists
- 3 service aces
Ellie Van De Steeg (S, 5-9, Jr., Hutchinson, Minn./ Hutchinson)
- 114 assists; 10.3 a/s
- 10 kills
- 5 service aces
- 21 digs
- 5 total blocks
-Mavericks improve to 9-4 overall and 5-1 in conference after losing on the road to Winona State on Tuesday, before traveling to the Peace Garden state and beating Minot State and the University of Mary.
-Minnesota State will come back home this week, as it will play host to Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State this weekend.
MSU Moorhead Dragons (7-7, 2-4 NSIC)
www.msumdragons.com
Tammy Kath-Blake • South Dakota ‘89
20th Season
2013 Record: 15-13, 8-12 NSIC (t-9th)
Maggie Gruber (MB/RS, 6-2, Sr., Belgrade, Minn./Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa HS)
--led MSUM to 2-1 mark on week after recording 45 kills in three matches
--had double-digit kills in all three matches
--hit a team-best .356 in 90 attempts
--averaged 4.5 kills per set
--recorded season-high 19 kills vs. Winona State
Casie Baer (S/DS, 5-8, Jr., Canby, Minn./Canby HS)
--Led Dragons’ two-setter attack with 61 set assists.
--averaged 6.1 kills per set.
--also had 15 digs
--had 26 set assists in four-set win over Upper Iowa
--had 25 set assists in sweep of Minot State
Sydney Foss (OH/DS, 5-10, Fr., Webster, Minn./New Prague HS)
--averaged 4.40 digs per set
--had 44 digs for the week.
--had a career-high 29 digs in four-set win over Upper Iowa
--added four service aces
Minot State Beavers (3-11, 1-5 NSIC)
www.msubeavers.com
Travis Ward • Western Oregon
3rd Season
2013 Record: 12-18, 7-13 NSIC (13th)
- The Minot State Beavers did not have one of their better weeks in the week of Sept. 22, dropping three NSIC conference games. The Beavers began the week on the road travelling to Minnesota State-Moorhead where they dropped a 3-0 match to the Dragons. After playing their first 12 games on the road, Minot State held their home opener on Friday, Sept. 26 when they took Minnesota State-Mankato to five sets but lost the match 3-2. The following day, the Beavers were swept in straight sets by seven-time national champion Concordia-St. Paul.
- #2 Emily Byrne (S, 5-7, Sr., Reno, Nev./Damonte Ranch) became Minot State’s all-time leader in assists in the final set of the Beavers game against Concordia-St. Paul. Byrne surpassed Melissa Spelchan’s 3,727 career assists to become the all-time leader. With 15 matches still to play, Byrne will put a good amount of distance between her and Spelchan by season’s end.
- #4 Jen Dixon (OH, 5-9, Sr., Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey) continued her pursuit of the all-time kills mark in Minot State history as she recorded 41 more kills this past week, including a week-high 16 kills against Minnesota State-Mankato. Dixon heads into the week of Sept. 29 just seven kills away from tying the record and eight kills away from calling the record her own.
- #8 Tarah Dabovich (MH, 6-2, Jr., Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) continues to be the most efficient hitter on the team for the Beavers. The junior hit over .300 in all three games this past week, including a seven kill outing against Concordia-St. Paul where she hit .636. With the strong week behind her, Dabovich improved her season hitting percentage to .268.
- The Beavers are in the midst of a five game losing streak and will look to break the streak on Friday, Oct. 3 when they travel to No. 7 ranked Southwest Minnesota State for a 7 p.m. game. The Beavers will finish off their weekend with a match against Sioux Falls set for 2 p.m.
Northern State Wolves (11-3, 4-2 NSIC)
www.northernstatewolves.com
Brent Aldridge • South Dakota ‘92
4th Season
2013 Record: 22-8, 14-6 NSIC (t-4th)
Cari McGarvie, 5-10, Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Lincoln North Star HS
- recorded a total of 30 kills in Northern’s three-match sweep of the week over U-Mary, Upper Iowa and Winona State
- hit .345 in the three matches to lead the Wolves.
- had 10 total blocks and a pair of aces in NSU’s perfect week. Against U-Mary on Tuesday, McGarvie recorded a career-best .875 attacking percentage in the sweep.
Drew Smith, 5-9, Jr., Ames, Iowa, Ames HS
-entered the week as the nation’s leader in assists per set
- continued that pace this week as she averaged 12.2 assists per set
- averaged 3.9 digs per set through the week and also had two service aces
- registered a pair of double-doubles as she had 30 assists and 13 digs in the sweep over Mary and had a great contest against Upper Iowa, as she recorded 56 assists and a season-best 17 digs in the win.
Sioux Falls Cougars (6-8, 2-4 NSIC)
www.usfcougars.com
Joel McCartney • Graceland College ‘87
4th Season
2013 Record: 19-12, 10-10 NSIC (t-7th)
Samantha Lovell (MB, 6-1, Sr., Bellevue, Neb./Bellevue East HS)
- Led Cougars with a .464 attack percentage en route to a 2-1 record
- Finished WSC and BSU matches with 17 kills and no errors.
- Recorded 11 kills in five-set win over Minnesota Crookston
- Led team with 14 total blocks and a team-best two solo blocks
Sydney Schaap (S, 5-8, Fr., Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain HS)
- Led team with 59 assists (5.36)
- Posted 18 digs, including season-best nine against Bemidji State
- Also chipped in with two service aces
Abby Folk (L, 5-8, So., Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS)
- Recorded team-high 44 digs (4.00/set) over three matches for USF
- Extended double-digit dig streak to five straight matches after reaching double figures in each match this week
- Picked up 16 digs (5.33/set) in loss to Wayne State and 14 in each other matches.
After a tough start to the conference season that featured three ranked teams, University of Sioux Falls broke through with a pair of wins on the weekend. The Cougars fell to No. 17 Wayne State on Tuesday night, but then rebounded quickly with a sweep of Bemidji State on Friday evening. USF held the Beavers to a .041 attack percentage while Samantha Lovell pieced together a combined 17 kills without and error in the first two matches of the week. The Cougars then welcomed Minnesota Crookston to the Stewart Center where they outlasted the Golden Eagles in a neck-and-neck five-set match. Four Cougars reached double figures in kills in the second straight USF victory.
SMSU Mustangs (9-5, 4-2 NSIC)
www.smsumustangs.com
Terry Culhane • Southwest Minnesota State ‘78 11th Season
2013 Record: 24-8, 17-3 NSIC (3rd)
#5 Sarah Parker (MB, 6-0, So.Edwardsville, Ill. / Edwardsville)
-Recorded a team high 41 kills hitting .467 in last weeks matches
-Set fourth highest single-game hitting percentage school record verses Minnesota Crookston hitting .690
-Tallied 21 kills versus Minnesota Crookston
-Totaled 12 blocks in the week matches
-Hitting a team high .330 and ranks 3rd in kills
#6 Megan Larson (S, 5-9, Fr. Minneota, Minn./Minneota)
-Dished out 76 assists in last weeks matches
-Put up 7 blocks as well
-Recorded week-high 28 assists against Minnesota Crookston.
-Leads team in sets and has a 6.31 assist/set average
#3 Whitney Burmeister (OH, 5-9, Jr., Lakefield, Minn./Jackson Country Central)
-Tallied 44 total digs in the weeks matches
-Week high 19 digs versus Bemidji State
-Has a team leading 185 digs with a 3.63 dig/set average
Southwest Minnesota State volleyball will host a pair of NSIC games this weekend. Oct. 3 versus Minot State and Oct. 4 versus University of Mary.
St. Cloud State Huskies (7-7, 1-5 NSIC)
www.scsuhuskies.com
Michelle Blaeser • Minnesota State ‘89
5th Season
2013 Record: 14-14, 8-12 NSIC (t-9th)
- Erin Ohlemann (Golden Valley, Minn.) ranks seventh in the league in assists, averaging 10.37 per set. Ohlemann has recorded 477 assists on the season.
- Brianne Stamer (Hutchinson, Minn.) is still ranked second in the league, averaging 5.39 digs per set.
- Shannon Klink (Hartford, Wis.) leads the team in kills with 118 on the season. Klink averages 2.62 kills per set.
- St. Cloud State holds a .213 attack percentage as a team.
Upper Iowa Peacocks (7-7, 2-4 NSIC)
www.upperiowaathletics.com
Aaron Nelson • St. Cloud State ‘99
4th Year
2013 Record: 8-22, 4-16 NSIC (14th)
- Peacocks lost to #3 Concordia (3-0), at #21 Northern State (3-1) and at MSU Moorhead (3-1)
- Jenny Mundt led the offense with 36 kills (3.3/set)
- Hailey Brown added 46 assists, 21 digs and 20 kills
- Haylie Franklin denied 13 attacks at the net for a 1.18 blocks/set average
- Amanda Weiss led the back line defense with 43 digs (3.9/set)
- Upper Iowa will host St. Cloud State on Friday at 7 p.m. and #2 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Wayne State Wildcats (12-2, 5-1 NSIC)
www.wscwildcats.com
Scott Kneifl • Wayne State College ‘95
10th Season
2013 Record: 22-10, 12-8 NSIC (6th)
- Three Wildcat players each averaged 2.78 kills per set during Wayne State’s 2-1 week.
- #8 Katie Hughes, 5-11 Jr. OH Seward, Neb. (Seward HS), averaged 2.78 kills and 3.56 digs per set
- #10 Alyssa Frauendorfer, 6-0 Soph. MH Humphrey, Neb. (Humphrey HS), averaged 2.78 kills and 0.67 blocks per set while hitting .339 for the week
- #12 Elizabeth Gebhardt, 6-2 Jr. RS Norfolk, Neb. (Lutheran High Norhteast) averaged 2.78 kills and 1.11 blocks per set
#7 Leisa McClintock, 5-7 Jr. Setter Sioux City, Iowa (Heelan HS)
- averaged 8.89 assists and 2.11 digs in three matches during the week
- had 32 assists in 3-0 win over St. Cloud State and 26 assists in 3-0 sweep at Sioux Falls
#1 Courtney VanGroningen, 5-4 Jr. Libero Sterling, Neb. (Sterling HS)
- Averaged 4.11 digs per set in three WSC matches
- had week-best 19 digs in Friday’s 3-0 win vs. St. Cloud State
Winona State Warriors (10-2, 5-1 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.)
- Put together an outstanding match Tuesday against Minnesota State, racking up 17 kills and hitting .353 to power the Warriors to a 3-0 sweep of Minnesota State.
- Totaled 38 kills in three matches last week to guide the Warriors to a 2-1 record in that span and a 10-2 start to the season.
#8 McKenna Larsen (S, 5-7, Fr., Oconto Falls, Wis.)
- Collected 85 assists in three matches last week as the Warriors went 2-1.
- Dished out a match-high 31 assists while also contributing five kills and nine digs in a 3-0 sweep of Minnesota State.
- Came up just shy of a triple-double at No. 24 Northern State, finishing with 10 kills, 27 assists and eight digs.
Winona State (10-2, 5-1 NSIC) returns home this weekend for a pair of matchups with Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.
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)
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