For Immediate Release
Monday, October 2, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)

NSIC Volleyball Players of the Week 

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#1 Taylor Reiss (OH, 5-10, Jr., Taunton, Minn. / Minneota HS)
Southwest Minnesota State
- Averaged 4.83 kills per set over the weekend with 29 total kills in two matches
- Moved into top-10 in school history in career kills in Mustangs’ win over St. Cloud State
- Had eight block assists over the weekend
- Finished with a .448 attack percentage including a .500 percentage in SMSU’s win over No. 6 UMD
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/11/17)

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#11 Bethany Lovhaug (MB, 6-0, Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Park Center Senior HS)
Upper Iowa
- Recorded 18 blocks in UIU's 3-0 win over Minot State and 3-1 win at UMary
- Averaged an NSIC high 2.57 blocks per set over the seven sets, including 12 blocks at UMary
- Added 15 kills in the two matches
- Leads the NSIC and ranks 23rd in the nation in blocks per set with a 1.21 average

NSIC Setter of the Week
#6 Megan Larson (S, 5-9, Sr., Minneota, Minn. / Minneota HS)
Southwest Minnesota State
- Averaged 13.83 assists per set as SMSU knocked off St. Cloud State and No. 6 UMD in straight sets
- Led the Mustangs to an NSIC high .351 hitting percentage last week, including .386 against UMD
- Had 42 assists versus SCSU and 41 against UMD
- Added 11 digs and three blocks on the week
- Ranks third in the nation in assists per set at 12.60
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the second time this season (9/11/17)

 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week – 3-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 vs. Black Hills State W 3-0 vs. BSU W 3-0 vs. UMC	12-5 overall 3-4 in the NSIC	W3	10th
Team Notes
- The Vikings got back on track over the weekend, winning three in a row – their first winning streak since winnings seven in a row from Sept. 2 – Sept. 9 - First year head coach Jennifer Jacobs picked up her first conference win at home with a 3-0 win over Bemidji State - Augustana has seven sweeps on the season
Top Performer(s)
- Junior Outside hitter Courtney Place tallied 44 kills over 9 sets of volleyball. She had 21 kills while hitting .308 in the win over Minnesota Crookston on Saturday. Place notched a double-double in the win over Bemidji State with 11 kills and 10 digs - Senior Ashley Wilson knocked down 9 kills on just 16 attempts (.500%) on Friday night vs. Bemidji.
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 at Minot State – 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at U-Mary – 2 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week – 0-2		Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-0 at Augie L 3-0 at WSC		3-12, 0-7 NSIC	L8	15th
Team Notes
- The Beavers went 0-2 during the weekend. - Beavers fell to No. 17 Augustana, 3-0, Friday. - BSU then fell to No. 22 Wayne State, 3-0, Saturday. - The Beavers look to snap an eight-match losing streak by hosting St. Cloud State, Tuesday.
Top Performer(s)
- Junior Sami Leach led the Beavers with 11 kills over the weekend and a 1.83 k/s average. She also led the team with 20 assists and posted 13 digs. - Freshman Becka Cronin led the defense with 21 digs while Julie Touchett tallied six blocks.
Up Next
Tuesday, Oct. 3 vs. SCSU – 6 pm Friday, Oct. 6 vs. Upper Iowa– 6 pm Saturday, Oct. 7 vs. Winona State – 3 pm

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-1 at MSUM W 3-0 at #14 NSU	14-1, 7-0 NSIC	W7	1st
Team Notes
- CSP extended their NSIC winning streak to 17 with a pair of road wins as they have not lost a match in league play since Oct. 14, 2016 - The Golden Bears have gone unbeaten in NSIC road contests for almost two seasons with 19 straight wins since falling at Northern State back on Oct. 16, 2015 - Concordia stifled their opponents as they allowed just a .153 hitting percentage while hitting .246 themselves on the weekend
Top Performer(s)
- Brooklyn Lewis was dominant offensively for the Golden Bears with an impressive 5.43 kills per set (38 total kills) to go along with a .361 hitting percentage on the weekend - Elizabeth Mohr grabbed a pair of double-doubles with 14.14 assists per set (99 total blocks) and 2.86 digs per set (20 total digs) in CSP’s two wins
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 at St. Cloud State – 6 pm Saturday, Oct. 7 at #6 Minnesota Duluth – 2 pm

 

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-0 vs. WSU L 3-1 vs. UIU	5-11, 1-6 NSIC	L4	14th
Team Notes
- The Marauders are in the middle of a four-game home stand, tying for their longest of the season - All four games of the home stand are against teams nationally ranked (#13 Winona State, #17 Augustana, #22 Wayne State) or receiving votes (Upper Iowa) - Six of the 12 Marauders that played against Upper Iowa are freshmen
Top Performer(s)
- Lauren Randall is second in the NSIC in kills/set (4.44) and points/set (4.84). The Marauders NCAA era kills leader (1,165) posted double doubles in both matches last weekend with 10 kills and 15 digs against Winona State and 13 kills and 12 digs against Upper Iowa - Freshman Morgan Schnabel posted a career-high 16 kills against the Peacocks. She hit .364 for the match and also had two aces. Schnabel had a big weekend, adding eight kills and hitting .316 against Winona State - Moved back to setter for the weekend, senior Katelyn Olson posted 29 assists and three kills against the Warriors and followed up with a season-high 48 assists and two kills against UIU
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 vs. Wayne State - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 vs. Augustana - 2 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-0 WSC L 3-0 AUGIE	4-11; 1-5 NSIC	L4	12th
Team Notes
-  UMC team had opportunities in the final two sets but fell 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16) to No. 22 Wayne State - The Golden Eagle volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-12) to No. 17 Augustana University Sat., Sept. 30 at Elmen Center - Minnesota Crookston hit .105 against Wayne State with 34 kills and 20 errors on the match. The Golden Eagles were strong defensively with 74 digs on the match - The Golden Eagles hit .116 versus Augustana with 30 kills and 16 errors. The Golden Eagles had seven blocks on the match
Top Performer(s)
- Kassi Green notched 13 kills and hit .170 against Augustana - Becca Vandenheuvel tallied 16 digs against Augustana - Maggie Perrel tallied 16 digs versus Augustana - Kassi Green notched 15 kills and hit .195 versus Wayne State - Becca Vandenheuvel notched 16 digs versus Wayne State
Up Next
Fri., Oct. 6 – vs. Winona State – 6 p.m. Sat., Oct. 7 – vs. Upper Iowa – 2 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 vs USF L 3-0 at #1 SMSU	13-2, 6-1 NSIC	L1	3rd
Team Notes
- UMD defeated Sioux Falls in straight sets before falling to No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State - Hit .323 on the weekend and has attacked over the .300-mark for 11 consecutive matches - The Bulldogs were swept for the first time in 53 games, the last time it happened was on Oct. 24, 2015.
Top Performer(s)
- Kate Berg paced the team with 25 kills (4.17 per set). She also had six service aces on the weekend. - Sarah Kelly collected 22 kills as she hit a team-high .410 in the two games - Emily Torve racked up 39 and 42 assists increasing her assists per set to 12.60.
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 vs Minnesota State – 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 vs Concordia-St. Paul – 2 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-0 at #14 NSU W 3-2 at MSUM	9-6 (3-4 NSIC)	W1	9th
Team Notes
- Fell in straight sets at No. 14 Northern State, 3-0 - Won a five set thriller at MSU Moorhead, 3-2 - The Mavericks have won three of their last four matches
Top Performer(s)
-Freshman Alivia Garbe led the Mavericks with 25 kills (3.12/s) over the weekend including a career-high 15 at MSU Moorhead. She also totaled a team-high 15 kills with seven digs at No. 14 Northern State - Freshman Micayla Porter tallied 48 assists (6.00/s) including a career-best 32 assist performance at MSU Moorhead. She also contributed a team-best 16 assists at No. 14 Northern State. Defensively, Porter chipped in 20 digs over the weekend - Freshman Mara Quam posted 32 digs (4.00/s) with a team-high 18 at MSU Moorhead and team-best 14 digs at No. 14 Northern State. She has reached the double-digit plateau in her last 10 matches
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 at Minnesota Duluth – 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at St. Cloud State – 11:00 a.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 0-3 to No. 2 CSP   L 2-3 to MSU	7-8, 2-5 NSIC	L5	10th
Team Notes
- Dragons went 0-2 with a pair of home NSIC losses - MSUM battled tough against No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul before falling in four sets - MSUM has two matches remaining on four-match homestand - Junior libero Monica Vega is third in NSIC at 5.33 digs per set - Freshman MB Kylie Kanwischer is fourth in NSIC at 1.13 blocks per set
Top Performer(s)
- Fr. Setter Ellie Hoyt had 45 set assists, averaging 5.00 assists per set - Jr. Libero Monica Vega had 45 digs in three matches, averaging 5.00 per set - Fr. OH Sarah Petrbok had 27 kills, averaging 3.00 per set, and added 40 digs. - So. MB Kaylyn Jenkins had 24 kills and 14 blocks in two matches
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 vs. SMSU - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 vs. Sioux Falls -5 p.m.

 

Minot State University Beavers

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-0 vs. UIU L 3-0 vs. WSU	3-12, 0-7 NSIC	L11	16th
Team Notes
- Went 0-2 last week - Swept by Upper Iowa and Winona State - Averaged 10.17 kills per set last week
Top Performer(s)
- Hayley Swain totaled 15 kills and six kills in the two matches - Kelsey Dewulf dished out 50 assists along with posting 15 digs
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 vs. Augustana – 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 vs. Wayne State – 1 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 vs. MSU L 3-0 vs #2 CSP	13-2, 6-1 NSIC	L1	8th
Team Notes
- The Northern State volleyball team opened the week, moving up five spots to No. 14 in the AVCA Top-25 Poll - The Wolves went 1-1, suffering their first conference loss to No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul - NSU hit .203 in the two matches, with 71 kills, 70 assists, 112 digs, 12.5 blocks, and six service aces - On the week, the Wolves out hit (.203-.176), out dug (112-97), and out blocked their opponents (12.5-10.0) -Northern hit .304 against the Mavericks, and held them to a .067 attack percentage on defense
Top Performer(s)
- Holly Vancura led the team with 19 kills, followed by Jenna Reiff with 18 - Reiff hit a team leading .361 through six sets. She also led the team with six blocks - Ashley Rozell tallied 64 assists, averaging 10.6 per set - Jaiden Langlie led the defense with 26 digs, averaging 4.33 per set
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 vs. Sioux Falls – 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 vs. #1 Southwest Minnesota State – 2 p.m.

 

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 0-3 vs #6 UMD W 3-1 vs SCSU	9-3, 4-3 NSIC	W1	7th
Team Notes
- Split a weekend home series to remain in a tie for sixth in the NSIC standings - Lost an offensive battle, 3-0, with Minnesota Duluth on Friday night, when both teams hit above. 300 - Rebounded to oust St. Cloud State in four sets, 3-1, using 10 blocks and four players with double-digit digs to hold SCSU to .170 attack percentage
Top Performer(s)
- Bria Barfnecht had another efficient weekend, hitting 27 kills with just four errors for team-high .523 attack percentage - Barfnecht put down eight kills without an error on Friday then had 15 error-free kills to open the match on Saturday and she finished with 19 total against SCSU - Makenna Rockeman reached double-digit kills in both matches, finishing with 22 on the weekend - Janelle Lam picked up 28 digs in seven sets of work, including 17 against St. Cloud State - Lexi Scott and Abby Feyereisen posted total nine blocks each, with Scott recording two solo stuffs and Feyereisen one
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 – at Northern State - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7– at MSU Moorhead - 5 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 vs SCSU W 3-0 vs UMD	15-0, 7-0 NSIC	W15	2nd
Team Notes
- Southwest Minnesota State tied its second longest win streak in school history with 3-0 wins over St. Cloud State and No. 6 Minnesota Duluth - SMSU finished the weekend with a .351 attack percentage and held its two opponents to .200 - The Mustangs are now 8-0 this season against AVCA Top-25 teams - SMSU is holding opponents to a .149 attack percentage in seven conference matches so far this season - SMSU is averaging 15.4 k/set while holding opponents to 9.88 k/set since beginning conference play
Top Performer(s)
- Taylor Reiss moved into top-10 in career kills with 12 kills on Friday vs. St. Cloud State - Reiss followed up with 17 kills against UMD and finished the weekend with a .448 attack percentage and also added eight block assists in two matches - Kaylee Burmeister finished the weekend with 23 kills in two matches including 14 in Saturday’s win over UMD - Megan Larson averaged 13.8 assists per set and also averaged 1.8 digs per set - Sarina Smith had 1.5 blocks per set and added 18 kills in two matches - Brooke Borchardt had six block assists while adding 22 kills over the weekend
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 at MSU Moorhead– 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at Northern State- 2 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week – 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-0 at SMSU L 3-1 at USF	10-6, 3-4 NSIC	L2	13th
Team Notes
- St. Cloud State’s volleyball team lost to No. Southwest Minnesota State in three sets - The team also fell on the road to Sioux Falls in four sets - The current two match losing streak ties the team’s longest winless stretch of the season - The squad is now 18-25 all-time against SMSU and 2-5 against Sioux Falls - The team plays its fifth match against a ranked team this week when Concordia-St. Paul comes for to town for a Friday match
Top Performer(s)
- Nicole Miller led the team with 20 kills on the week (2.86 per set) - She also recorded 24 digs (3.43 per set) - Kayla Crane led the team in service aces (3) - Maddy Torve picked up a team-high 33 assists (4.71 per set) - Clara Krenz totaled 32 digs (4.57 per set)
Up Next
Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Bemidji State - 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, vs. CSP - 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, vs. Minnesota State - 11 a.m.

 

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 at Minot State W 3-1 at UMary	13-3, 4-3 NSIC	W2	11th
Team Notes
- The Peacocks swept the Beavers of MISU on Friday night and then battled to win a four-set match with the Marauders of UMary on Saturday morning - UIU hit .281 for the weekend with 99 kills in their 7 sets for a 14.1/set average, while holding their opponents to a .124 percentage - Upper Iowa's play at the net made the biggest impact over the weekend; the Peacocks registered a 24-11 advantage in team blocks
Top Performer(s)
- Bethany Lovhaug led the Peacocks in the two matches with 15 kills (2.1/set) and 18 blocks (2.57/set) - Anna Winter posted a team-high 25 kills, while Haley Weepie followed closely with 19, Lauren Wombles added 17 and Haley Poula chipped in 16 - Ashley Larson led the back line with 36 digs with Weepie just behind at 33 - Poula also had a good weekend at the net with 11 blocks (1.57)
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 6 at Bemidji State -  6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at Minnesota Crookston -  2 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week – 3-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 3-0 SD MINES W 3-0 UMC W 3-0 BSU	10-6, 4-3 NSIC	W3	6th
Team Notes
- WSC won all nine sets during the week with three home sweeps - Wayne State outhits opponents .303 to .044 during three home wins
Top Performer(s)
- Senior Erin Gross averaged team-best 4.33 kills per set with .400 attack percentage - Redshirt freshman Jaci Brahmer averaged 4.11 kills and 1.67 blocks per set while hitting .500 for the week - Brahmer matches season-high with 16 kills in 3-0 sweep over Minnesota Crookston
Up Next
Friday, October 6 at University of Mary - 6 p.m. Saturday, October 7 at Minot State - 1 p.m.

Winona State University Warriors