For Immediate Release
Monday, October 16, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)

NSIC Volleyball Players of the Week 

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#9 Sarah Kelly (OH, 5-11, Jr., Chaska, Minn. / Chaska HS)
Minnesota Duluth
- Powered the Bulldogs to a pair of wins over No. 14 WSU and UIU
- Erupted for 3.62 kills per set, with a potent .412 attack percentage
- Blasted 29 total kills past the two clubs who, combined, have strangle opposing attacks (.171) this season
- Had a team-high 18 kills versus WSU (18-30, .500) while registering four blocks
- Backed up her strong performance with 11 kills, a club-best nine digs and two aces versus the Peacocks
- Ranks as the most efficient hitter in NCAA II, attacking at a boisterous mark of .457 this season
- Is dominating top-25 competition as she has 3.75 kills/set and .419 hitting percentage against ranked clubs

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#7 Tahlyr Banks (Libero, 5-6, Sr., Omaha, Neb. / Gross Catholic HS)
Augustana
- Averaged 6.43 digs per set in wins over No. 9 NSU and MSUM
- Had 23 digs on Friday night vs. MSU Moorhead
- Muscled up 22 digs on Saturday night against No. 9 Northern State
- Helped Augie to win last seven NSIC matches

NSIC Setter of the Week
#9 Alex Banker (Setter, 5’8” Sr., Omaha, Neb./ Skutt Catholic)
Augustana
- Averaged 14.14 assists per set in wins over MSUM and No. 9 NSU
- Had 39 assists in a 3-0 win over MSUM, adding seven digs, two kills and one ace
- Racked up a career-high 60 assists and three service aces in a 3-1 win over No. 9 NSU
 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 vs. MSUM W 3-1 vs. #9 NSU	16-5 overall 7-4 NSIC	W7	10th
Team Notes
- The Augustana volleyball team is on a seven match win streak   - The Vikings have 10 sweeps on the season - Three of the Vikings five losses came in a row – from Sept. 14 to Sept. 19 – each of which went five sets - Four players had double-digit kills in the win over Northern State on Saturday night - On Friday, Augustana held MSU Moorhead to just a .041 hitting percentage
Top Performer(s)
- Senior Ashley Wilson had a total of 21 kills over seven sets of volleyball of the weekend - She hit .368 on Friday and .479 on Saturday - She tallied five block assists over the weekend - Senior setting Alex Banker set a career high with 60 assists on Saturday vs. Northern State - She accounted for 39 assists, seven digs, two kills and one ace on Friday night vs. MSU Moorhead
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 at Minnesota State – 6 p.m.  Saturday, Oct.21 at #2 Concordia-St. Paul – 4 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week – 0-2		Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-0 at #3 CSP L 3-0 at MSU		3-17, 0-11 NSIC	L13	15th
Team Notes
- BSU fell in both matches on the road at No 3 Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State - The Beavers fell to the Golden Bears, 3-0 - Bemidji State then fell 3-0 to the Mavericks - The Beavers host Northern State and MSU Moorhead this weekend
Top Performer(s)
- Freshman Anna Averkamp led the Beavers with 15 kills - Junior Sami Leach had 28 assists and 13 digs
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 vs. Northern State – 6 pm Saturday, Oct. 21 vs MSU-Moorhead – 2 pm

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 BSU W 3-0 UMC	17-2, 10-1 NSIC	W2	1st
Team Notes
- CSP continued long winning streaks against both Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston as they won their 30th in a row over the Beavers and their 31st in a row over the Golden Eagles - The Golden Bears combined to hit .381 on the weekend, including a season-best mark of .506 on Friday night against BSU - Concordia held an impressive 102-57 edge in kills and a 12-1 edge in service aces while also out-pacing their opponents in digs at 92-85
Top Performer(s)
- Tori Hanson contributed a staggering 6.33 digs per set (38 total digs) to go along with a team-best seven aces (1.17 per set) in the two wins - Elizabeth Mohr orchestrated the offense with 14.33 assists per set (86 total assists) while guiding the team to a .381 hitting percentage on the weekend
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 vs Wayne State – 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 vs Augustana – 4 p.m.

 

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-1 at USF L 3-0 at #2 SMSU	5-15, 1-10 NSIC	L8	14th
Team Notes
- The Marauders are halfway through a four-game road trip - After playing at St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 20-21, the Marauders will return home for three straight games and 5-of-7 - In their last five games the Marauders have played five national-ranked teams and a sixth that was receiving votes
Top Performer(s)
- Lauren Randall is second in the NSIC in kills/set (4.52) - Last week Randall posted 23 kills against Sioux Falls and followed with 14 kills and a season-best .370 hitting percentage against 2nd ranked Southwest Minnesota State - She also had her team-high 11th double double against SMSU - Geovana Almeida had 15 digs against SMSU. She is 17th in the conference in digs with 3.27/set - Amanda Lopes posted 43 assists, eight digs and five block assists against USF. The junior setter is 10th in the NSIC in assists (9.27/set) and 13th in aces (.33/set) - Freshman Natalia Cruz just misses a double double with nine kills and 13 dogs against USF - Senior Freddie Campbell had a big night defensively at the net against USF, posting two solo blocks and assisting on four others
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 at St. Cloud State - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at Minnesota Duluth - 4 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-1 MSU L 3-0 #3 CSP	4-15; 1-9 NSIC	L8	12th
Team Notes
- The Golden Eagles won the first set over Minnesota State 25-23 and were within at least six points of the Mavericks in the final three sets, but ultimately fell 3-1 to the Mavericks - UMC tested No. 3 Concordia University-St. Paul in the final two sets, but ultimately fell 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-19) - Kassi Green is fourth in the NSIC with 4.09 kills per set - She has 233 kills for the season for Minnesota Crookston - She is also fourth in points in the NSIC with 4.50 points per set
Top Performer(s)
- Kaitlin Sikkink notched 11 kills and hit .231 in the 3-1 loss to Minnesota State - Kaycie Hagen notched a double-double with 32 assists and 13 digs versus Minnesota State - Deaira Gresham notched nine kills and hit .227 versus Concordia-St. Paul - Becca Vandenheuvel notched 11 digs against Concordia-St. Paul
Up Next
Fri., Oct. 20 vs. MSU Moorhead – 6 p.m. Sat., Oct. 21 vs. Northern State – 4 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-2 at #14 WSU W 3-0 at UIU	17-2, 10-1 NSIC	W4	3rd
Team Notes
- Leads the NCAA II in hitting pct. (.328), kills/set (16.0), assists/set (15.0) - UMD is 4-1 against top-25 opponents and is hitting .320 in those contests - Won its first five-set match of the season against No. 14 Winona State and captured its 12 sweep of the season defeating RV upper Iowa
Top Performer(s)
- Sarah Kelly powered the Bulldogs with 3.62 kills/set and hitting a potent .412 percentage over the weekend - Kate Berg registered 32 kills on the weekend plus 2.50 digs/set; Berg is the top freshman in terms of kills/set in the NSIC. - Abby Thor attained 12 kills vs. Upper Iowa (12-18, .500) besting her previous mark set earlier this season - Emily Torve averaged 12.7 assists per set and 2.25 digs/set; Her 60 assists against No. 14 Winona State was a career best - Keena Seiffert posted back-to-back 20-dig efforts against a pair of top-25 teams including a career-high 25 digs vs. Winona State
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 vs Minot State – 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 vs U-Mary – 4 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-1, vs. UMC W 3-0, vs. BSU	11-8 (5-6 NSIC)	W2	9th
Team Notes
- Won three straight sets to upend Minnesota Crookston, 3-1 - Breezed past Bemidji State, 3-0, at Taylor Center to wrap up the weekend - The Mavericks earned their seventh sweep of the season after blanking the Beavers - Minnesota State tallied 19 service aces as a team last weekend - The Mavericks lead the NSIC in service aces with 130 (1.94/s) this season
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore Morgan Olson led the Mavericks offensively with 24 kills - Her weekend was highlighted by a match-high 12 kills to go along with a .500 hitting percentage against Bemidji State - Freshman Micayla Porter handed out a team-leading 45 assists - She contributed a match-best 24 assists against Bemidji State - Porter has reached the 20 assist plateau eight times this season - Freshman Mara Quam paced the Mavericks on the defensive end with a match-high 18 digs against Minnesota Crookston - She closed the weekend with a match-best 10 digs against Bemidji State - Porter has reached double-figures in digs 16 times this season
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 vs. Augustana – 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 vs. Wayne State – 2 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 0-3 to #18 Augie L 0-3 to #21 WSC	7-12, 2-9 NSIC	L9	10th
Team Notes
- Dragons went 0-2 on the road with both losses coming to teams ranked in the AVCA D2 Poll - MSUM has lost nine in a row but six losses are to teams ranked in the top 25 and two others who were receiving votes - Junior L Monica Vega is second in NSIC at 5.41 digs per set - Two Dragons are tied for fifth in the NSIC in blocks per set (1.04) – sophomore MB Kaylin Jenkins and freshman MB Kylie Kanwischer
Top Performer(s)
- Freshman OH Sarah Petrbok led MSUM with 13 kills in two matches - Junior L Monica Vega had a strong defensive week with 40 digs in two matches, averaging 6.7 digs per set - Freshman Ellie Hoyt had 25 set assists in two matches - Sophomore MB Kaylyn Jenkins had seven block assists in two matches
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 at Minnesota Crookston - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at Bemidji State - 2 p.m.

 

Minot State University Beavers

Last Week – 1-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 at DSU L 3-0 at #2 SMSU L 3-1 at USF	4-16, 0-11 NSIC	L2	16th
Team Notes
- Offense averaged 9.6 kills per set over the three matches - The Beavers averaged 8 blocks per match last week - Minot State hit .107 for the week with a total of 96 kills and 59 errors in the three matches
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore Shelby Spuller notched a team-high 23 kills on the week, including a double-double (10 kills and 12 digs) in 3-1 loss at Sioux Falls - Hayley Swain recorded career-high eight blocks along with seven kills in 3-0 win over Dickinson State
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 at Minnesota Duluth – 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at St. Cloud State – 2 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-2 vs. #21 WSC L 3-1 vs #18 AUGIE	16-3, 9-2 NSIC	L1	8th
Team Notes
- Northern split with No. 21 Wayne State and No. 18 Augustana on the road last weekend - In the two matches, NSU hit .232 with 116 kills, 112 assists, 154 digs, 11 aces, and 20.5 blocks - NSU came back after being down two sets to none against the Wildcats, hitting .282 in the final three sets - The Wolves out-dug the Wildcats, 91-78 in the win - In the loss to the Vikings, Northern tallied 12 blocks to Augustana’s seven, and committed only 18 hitting errors to their 22
Top Performer(s)
- Hailey Busch led the team with 39 kills, hitting .273. She was also second on the team with 33 digs - Jenna Reiff was second on the team with 24 kills, and led the team with 16 blocks - Ashley Rozell dished out 107 assists, and added seven blocks - Jaiden Langlie led the defense with 36 digs, and added two aces
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 at Bemidji State – 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at Minnesota Crookston – 4 p.m.

 

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-1 vs U-Mary W 3-1 vs Minot State	12-4, 5-4 NSIC	W3	7th
Team Notes
- Swept the weekend with a pair of four-set victories over U-Mary and Minot State to push winning streak to three matches - Defense paced the Cougars against U-Mary, holding UM to .136 attack percentage as USF picked up 15 total blocks - While USF’s defense limited Minot State to a .102 attack percentage, four different Cougars posted 10-plus kills as USF hit .360 or better in three of the four sets
Top Performer(s)
- Averey Yaksich led the Cougars with 25 kills over the weekend, including a career-high 16 kills against Minot State - Bria Barfnecht posted a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs against Minot State and she was one block and kill away from a second double-double with nine of each against U-Mary - Janelle Lam picked up 32 digs on the weekend, 4.0 per set, and she had 19 against U-Mary
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 at Upper Iowa - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 vs. Winona State - 5 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 vs Minot State W 3-0 vs U-Mary	18-1, 10-1 NSIC	W2	2nd
Team Notes
- SMSU extended what is now a 15-match home winning streak last weekend with 3-0 victories over Minot State and U-Mary - The Mustangs averaged 16.2 kills per set as a team while opponents averaged just 7.5 - SMSU finished with a .390 hitting percentage in two matches while its two opponents hit just .068 - The Mustangs held Minot State to a .000 hitting percentage in their 3-0 win on Friday night - SMSU had 15.0 total blocks as a team over the weekend (2.5 blk/set)
Top Performer(s)
- Taylor Reiss averaged 4.50 k/s with a .500 hitting percentage over the weekend and 2.17d/s with four total blocks - Sarina Smith averaged 4.0 k/s with a .655 hitting percentage - Brooke Borchardt had 12 kills on 13 attacks for a hitting percentage of .923 against U-Mary - Jenna Walczak and Caedyn Reinhardt had career highs with eight kills against Minot State - Megan Larson averaged 12.8 assists/set over the weekend and 2.33 digs/set
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 at Winona State– 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 vs Upper Iowa- 2 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-1 at UIU L 3-0 #14 WSU	12-9, 4-7 NSIC	W1	13th
Team Notes
- St. Cloud State had an 0-2 week with losses to Upper Iowa and No. 14 Winona State - It was the sixth ranked program the team has played this season - The sweep by WSU was only the fifth time the program has been swept in a match this season
Top Performer(s)
- Becca Gruber led the team with her 17 kills and 2.43 kills per set on the week. - Marah Mulso had 15 kills plus hit .217 in the two matches. - Maddy Torve led the squad with her 35 assists. - Clara Krenz totaled 52 digs (7.43 per set) - Erin Navratil led the team with her four service aces
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20 vs. University of Mary - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 vs. Minot State - 2 p.m.

 

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-1 vs. SCSU  L 3-0 vs. #5 UMD	16-4, 7-4 NSIC	L1	11th
Team Notes
- The Peacocks defeated St. Cloud State on Friday to push their win streak to five, but fell in a tightly-contested, three-set match to #5 Minnesota Duluth - Upper Iowa lost the first set to the Bulldogs 25-21, but had two set points in the second frame before falling 28-26 and were tied 22-22 in the third set before UMD claimed the win 25-23 - For the weekend, UIU outhit their opponents .194 to .151 in percentage, but the guests recorded a 100-80 advantage in kills - UIU continued their dominance at the net posting a 17-6 advantage in team blocks - Upper Iowa is 1-4 this season against NCAA Top 25 teams and 15-0 against the rest of their schedule
Top Performer(s)
- Haley Weepie led a balanced attack with 19 kills, while four more players registered double digits including Haley Poula (16), Anna Winter (16), Lauren Wombles (13) and Bethany Lovhaug (12) - Malissa LeClaire handed out 65 assists and picked up 17 digs - Ashley Larson led the defense with 26 digs, while Gabby Holmes and Weepie both recorded 21 - At the net, Lovhaug registered 10 blocks, while Poula added 7 and Wombles denied 6
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 20  vs. USF - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 vs #2 SMSU - 2 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-2 vs. #9 NSU W 3-0 vs. MSUM	13-7, 7-4 NSIC	W1	6th
Top Performer(s)
- Senior Erin Gross had career-high 26 kills in 3-2 loss to #9 Northern State Friday - Redshirt freshman Jaci Brahmer had match-high 14 kills with five blocks in sweep of MSUM - Sophomore Katie Stephens averaged 4.62 digs and 2.25 kills per set in two matches
Up Next
Tuesday, October 17 at Chadron State - 7 p.m. Friday, October 20 at Concordia-St. Paul - 6 p.m. Saturday, October 21 at Minnesota State - 2 p.m.

Winona State University Warriors