For Immediate Release
Monday, October 3, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#8 Jasmine Mulvihill (OH/RS, 5-11, Jr., Lakeville, Minn. / South HS) - Concordia-St. Paul 
- Led the NSIC with 5.25 kills per set (21 total kills) in sweeps of UMary and Minot State
- Hit .636 as she did not commit an error on her 33 attempts
- Added four blocks, three digs and two aces in the two wins
- Leads the NSIC in kills per set (4.60) and point per set (5.24) while ranking 14th in hitting % (.289)
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the third time this season (8/29/22 & 9/19/22)

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#2 Erika Bute  (L, 5-5, Sr., Alden, Minn. / Alden-Conger HS) - Augustana 
- Helped lead Augustana to a 2-0 weekend in matchups against UMD and BSU
- Collected 33 digs averaging 5.50 a set
- Delivered a pair of aces and added 2.0 points to her stat line
- Is leading the NSIC in digs per set 5.08 with and total digs with 300
- Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/6/22)

NSIC Setter of the Week
#5 Teagan Starkey ( (S, 5-8, So.. Lakeville, Minn. / South HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Averaged an NSIC best 13.25 assists per set (53 total assists) in CSP’s two wins
- Added 1.75 digs per set to go along with a block and a kill on the weekend
- Guided the offense to a 61-7-107 line and .505 hitting percentage in her four sets of play
- Leads the nation in assists per set (13.00)
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the fourth time this season (8/29/22 & 9/6/22, 9/26/22) 

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#14 Kia Kriener (AUGIE) hammered home 12 total kills in Augustana’s matchups against Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. She delivered 7 aces over the weekend with 6 alone in the Bedmiji State match. Kriener totaled 20.5 points of the Vikings 111 points this weekend.
#11 Samantha Paulsen (UMD) had 25 kills (3.13 K/S) on a .276 hitting percentage across two road matches against #7 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. These two teams were a combined 22-6 overall and 10-3 in conference play heading into their matches against UMD. Paulsen recorded 14 of her kills (which led the team) against SMSU.
#12 Emily Kern (MSU) had 21 kills (2 errors) on 35 attempts with a .543 hitting percentage for the weekend (.571 on Friday, .524 on Saturday). She led the Mavericks in kills, hitting percentage, and blocks in back-to-back 3-0 wins.
#15 Brooklynne Albrecht (USF) had 10 kills with no errors in match against SCSU. Her attacking percentage was .588 vs SCSU. She helped USF take a set away from SCSU (only their 5th set loss all season).
#9 Meg Schmidt (SMSU) led the NSIC with 41 kills, while ranking fourth in the conference with 4.10 kills per set on the weekend. She finished with a match-high 18 kills on a .350 hitting percentage Friday against UMD. She closed her weekend with 23 kills on a .395 hitting percentage in the five-set win over SCSU on Saturday. She also added eight blocks on the weekend.
#12 Phebie Rossi (SCSU) hit .411 and terminated 4.11 kills/set, good for third-most in the NSIC. She averaged 5.11 points/set to finish fourth in the league while adding 1.22 blocks/set. She helped SCSU go 1-1 on the road, hitting .320 with 10 kills in a win over Sioux Falls. She closed out her weekend with a career-best 27 kills and 32 points at SMSU, adding four blocks and one ace.
#8 Madelyn Rettler (UIU) led the Peacock offense with 18 kills (3/set) over the weekend while hitting .203. The second-year hitter also notched 19 digs (3.17/set), three blocks and a pair of aces.
#11 Kelsie Cada (WSC) averaged 3.67 kills, 2.33 digs and 1.00 blocks per set in home sweeps over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. She had 12 kills and 7 digs Friday vs. BSU and added 10 kills, 7 digs and career-high 5 blocks vs. UMC.
#21 Sidney Paulson (WSU) helped lead Winona State to a pair of NSIC victories in wins over MSU Moorhead and Northern State University this past week.She had 24 total kills, good for a 4.00 K/set average. She racked up five assists and three service aces and she also had 27 digs across the two matches. She accrued six blocks on the weekend.

DEFENSE
#9 Hope Schjenken (UMD) registered 10 total blocks, good for 1.25 blocks per set, across two road matches against #7 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. These two teams were a combined 22-6 overall and 10-3 in conference play heading into their matches against UMD.
#11 Ellie Kline (MSU) led the team with 20 digs, 3 aces, added 7 assists, and was perfect in serve receive.
#8 Emily Kotelnikoff (MINOT) had a strong match Friday leading the Beavers in digs and blocks at Minnesota State.
#21 Karli Arkell (SMSU) led the NSIC with 15 blocks, while ranking third in the conference with 1.50 blocks per set on the weekend. She delivered six blocks while adding eight kills on Friday against UMD. She had nine blocks and five kills in Saturday’s five set victory against St. Cloud State.
#3 Kaci Beesecker (UIU) led the Peacock defense over the weekend with 37 digs for a per set average of 6.17. UIU’s libero added seven assists and a service ace in the team’s split against Northern State and MSU Moorhead. 
#12 Kylie Welch (WSU) led her team in digs in a 2-0 NSIC weekend sweep of MSU Moorhead and Northern State. She racked up 29 digs and had a 4.83 digs/set average.

SETTER
#9 Avery Thorson (AUGIE) helped lead Augustana to go 2-0 this weekend in matchups against Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. Thorson put up 37 assists averaging 9.25 a set. She added on 5 kills, 5 blocks, and 7.5 points this weekend to her stat line.
#7 Madison Gordon (UMD) registered 94 assists across two road matches against #7 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. These teams were a combined 22-6 overall and 10-3 in conference play heading into their matches against UMD. Gordon was third across the entire NSIC in assists per set for the weekend with 11.75. That average helped to propel Gordon to sixth in the country in assists per set for the season with 11.19.
#23 Brooke Bolwerk (MSU) had 62 assists in two sweeps and added a pair of aces and 16 digs along with a block assist.
#2 Jaina Macaulay (MINOT) led the way both nights on the road for Minot State with double-digit assists in both matches.
#18 Emma Berran (SCSU) finished fourth in the NSIC with 11.56 assists/set. She directed the SCSU offense to post 14.0 kills/set on .268 hitting, both ranking top-five in the league. She recorded a career-best 58 assists on Saturday at SMSU.
#2 Jaci Winchell (WSU) was instrumental in leading Winona State to a pair of victories in a key NSIC weekend. She had 74 total assists across two matches, a 12.33 assist/set average. She also collected a service ace and two kills.
 
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)

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.