For Immediate Release
Monday, October 17, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#11 Kelsie Cada (OH, 6-0, Jr., Wahoo, Neb. / Wahoo Neumann HS) - Wayne State
- Tied for a NSIC best 4.67 kills per set in home sweeps over UMary and Minot State
- Posted career-high 21 kills hitting .541 with just one error in 3-0 sweep over UMary 
- Hit .400 for the weekend and recorded three service aces
- Added 2.17 digs per set

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#2 Erika Bute (L, 5-5, Sr., Alden, Minn.    / Alden-Conger HS) - Augustana
- Led the NSIC with 6.33 digs per set in wins against Minot State and UMary
- Totaled 38 digs, with 24 coming against Minot State
- Continues to be the lead for the NSIC in totals digs with 381 and digs per set with 5.08
- Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/6/22 & 10/3/22)

NSIC Setter of the Week
#14 Rachel Walker (S, 5-9, Jr., Lincoln, Neb. / Southwest HS) - Wayne State
- Averaged 11.67 assists per set, tied for best in NSIC last week
- Led the Wildcats to a .388 team hitting percentage, tops in the NSIC last week
- Added 2.00 digs per set in home sweeps over UMary and Minot State
- Had 41 set assists and eight digs in Friday’s 3-0 sweep over UMary
- Added 29 assists with two aces in 3-0 sweep over Minot State

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#14 Kia Kriener (AUGIE) accumulated 17 kills this weekend against Minot State and UMary. She tallied four aces, and four blocks while adding on 21.5 points. She completed 17 of 43 attacks creating a .326 attack percentage this weekend.
#8 Jasmine Mulvihill (CSP) led the team with 3.25 kills per set (26 total kills) and 0.88 aces per set (seven total aces) in a pair of top-10 wins. She set a program record in the 25-point scoring format with six aces against UMD while adding 19 kills and 10 digs. She hit .277 on her 65 swings over the two matches and added 1.50 digs per set and 0.75 blocks per set. She ranks sixth in the nation in points per set (5.12) and 10th in kills per set (4.40). 
#14 Maddie Cooper (UMary) averaged 3.17 kills/set and hit .327 to lead the Marauders in a pair of road games. She had six kills at No. 1 Wayne State. She followed with a career-high 13 kills at Augie. She hit .462 against the Vikings with one attack error on 26 attempts.  She also had a pair of blocks for a 14 point night.
#11 Samantha Paulsen (UMD) had 2.78 K/S (25 total kills) across two matches this weekend, including 13 against No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul. Paulsen ended the weekend with a hitting percentage of .315. Against No. 3 Concordia, Paulsen had 13 kills on a hitting percentage of .458. 
#12 Emily Kern (MSU) had a .381 hitting percentage with 9 kills, and 1 error, with a total of 21 attempts and added 4 blocks against #5 Minnesota Duluth. In the last two games versus two top #7 ranked teams nationally had an average hitting percentage of.357 with 18 kills, 3 errors 21 total attempts, and added 6 blocks.
#5 Alexandra Koontz (MINOT) led the way both days for the Beavers on the road, racking up 10 kills on the weekend.
#9 Meg Schmidt (SMSU) tied for an NSIC best 4.67 kills and added five digs and three blocks in a pair of victories. She had 18 kills with a .400 hitting percentage in a sweep over Northern State on Saturday. She added 10 kills in Friday’s 3-0 sweep against MSU Moorhead. 
#8 Kenzie Foley (SCSU) led the NSIC with 37.5 points on the weekend while averaging the third-most points/set at 5.36. She landed fifth with 4.43 kills/set and had 0.86 aces/set (sixth) to help SCSU go 1-1 on the weekend. She sent down 20 kills in the Huskies’ four-set win over Minnesota State on Saturday.
#17 Zoe Semelroth (UIU) led the Peacock attack to a pair of sweeps in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium over the weekend with 25 kills and a 4.17 per set average. The UIU middle hit .314 in the two matches needing just 51 swings to post her team-high kill total. Semelroth added four aces and four blocks for Upper Iowa.
#16 Madison Larson (WSU) was a key offensive catalyst for Winona State in a pair of Warrior wins over the weekend. She had 31 total kills, good for a 4.43 per/set average. She hit .342 in the two wins over the weekend to go with four blocks. 

DEFENSE
#22 Kaia Sueker (UMary) led the Marauders with 4.67 digs per set on a 2-game road trip. After a 7-dig match at No. 1 Wayne State, had one of her most productive nights of the year at Augustana. She had 21 digs in three sets against the Vikings, Suecker’s third bet mark of season. She ranks third in the NSIC this season in digs per set (4.60).
#18 Kiya Durant (MSU) had 10 total blocks and added two kills against No. 6 Minnesota Duluth. Last weekend she had 11 blocks against two top ten teams ranked nationally and averaged a .233 hitting percentage with 9 kills, 2 errors with 30 attempts.
#3 Kendal Braun (MINOT) turned in a career-high with 10 digs Saturday at No. 1 Wayne State and added 6 digs in Friday’s match at Augustana.
#3 Kaci Beesecker (UIU) paced defensive line as Upper Iowa claimed a pair of home sweeps over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. Beesecker put her hands on 36 digs for a 6.0 per set average and added eight service aces and three assists as UIU controlled the pace of play in the two matches.
#3 Casey Volkmann (WSU) was all over the court in a pair of Warrior wins on the weekend, leading her team with tenacious defense. She had 33 total digs over two matches for a 4.71 dig/set average. She added two blocks and two service aces.

SETTER
#9 Avery Thorson (AUGIE) completed 65 assists this weekend in matchups against Minot State and UMary. Thorson tallied six kills, three aces, and three blocks this weekend while adding on 10.5 points.
#5 Teagan Starkey (CSP) contributed 10.50 assists per set (84 total assists) in a pair of top-10 victories. She chipped in 2.00 digs per set and 1.13 blocks per set on the weekend. She set a new career high with five blocks in Friday’s win over SCSU. She has at least 30 assists in 19 of 21 matches this season. She leads the nation in assists per set (12.71) while helping CSP to a nation-leading .303 hitting percentage.
#7 Madison Gordon (UMD) recorded 11.44 assists per set (103 total assists) across two matches this weekend. Gordon was third in the NSIC this weekend in assists per set and first in total assists. Gordon currently sits at sixth in the country in assists per set, averaging 11.27 per set. She recorded 54 assists across four sets against Minnesota State, her third-highest total of the season, good for a rate of 13.5 A/S (the current NCAA leader in average A/S has 12.71).
#9 Lucia Mercolini (MINOT) led the way at setter in both matches on the road, dishing out 12 assists against No. 1 ranked Wayne State and finishing the weekend with 16 assists for the Beavers.
#6 Alisa Bengen (SMSU) averaged an NSIC best 11.67 assists per set (70 total assists) in SMSU’s three sweeps on the weekend. She added 1.67 digs per set, 1.00 kills per set, 0.87 blocks per set and 0.50 aces per set. She engineered a Mustang attack that finished third in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.278) and fourth in kills per set (14.33). She became the 10th player in program history to reach 2,000 career assists on Friday night against MSU Moorhead. 
#10 Pozorski Nicole (UIU) controlled the flow of Upper Iowa’s offense during a pair of three-set wins at home over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. UIU’s setter handed out 64 assists for per set average of 10.7. Pozorski also added 18 digs (3/set), six kills, four blocks and three aces for the Peacocks.
#2 Jaci Winchell (WSU) dished out 79 total assists, good for a 11.29 assist/set average. She also collected two service aces and racked up 23 digs defensively, third-most on the team over the weekend. She added two blocks to the Warrior effort. 
 
NSIC Volleyball Players of the Week
8/29/22
O: #8 Jasmine Mulvihill - Concordia-St. Paul
D: #5 Keely Kurschner - St. Cloud State
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul

9/6/22
O: #18 Maggie Brahmer - Wayne State
D: #2 Erika Bute - Augustana
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (2)

9/12/22
O: #8 Kenzie Foley - St. Cloud State 
D: #10 Macie Wieman - MSU Moorhead
S: #18 Emma Berran - St. Cloud State

9/19/22
O: #8 Jasmine Mulvihill - Concordia-St. Paul (2)
D: #9 Katie Mattson - Concordia-St. Paul
S: #13 Halle Bemmels - Concordia-St. Paul

9/26/22
O: #13 Taya Beller - Wayne State
D: #18 Maggie Brahmer - Wayne State
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (3)

10/3/22
O: #8 Jasmine Mulvihill - Concordia-St. Paul (3) 
D: #2 Erika Bute - Augustana (2)
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (4)

10/10/22
O: #13 Taya Beller - Wayne State (2)
D: #12 Phebie Rossi - St. Cloud State
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (5)

10/17/22
O: #11 Kelsie Cada - Wayne State
D: #2 Erika Bute - Augustana (3)
S: #14 Rachel Walker - Wayne State

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.