For Immediate Release
Monday, October 31, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#18 Maggie Brahmer (MH, 6-0, So., Pierce, Neb. / Pierce HS) - Wayne State
- Averaged 4.00 kills and 0.82 blocks per set with .494 hitting percentage in three WSC home wins
- Had a week-high 17 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Augustana
- Hit .563 with 11 kills and four blocks in Friday’s 3-0 sweep over Winona State
- Had 16 kills and four blocks with a .577 hitting percentage in 3-2 win over Upper Iowa Saturday
- Named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/6/22)

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#2 Erika Bute (L, 5-5, Sr., Alden, Minn. / Alden-Conger HS) - Augustana
- Had an NSIC best 5.46 digs per set over three matches last week
- Racked up 20 digs in three sets against Wayne State
- Had 26 digs against Upper Iowa and 25 against Winona State
- Leads the NSIC with 5.13 digs per set in NSIC play
- Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season 

NSIC Setter of the Week
#20 Keri Walker (S, 6-0, Sr., Grafton, Wis. / Living Word Lutheran HS) - Northern State
- Paced Northern State with 133 total assists last week
- Averaged an NSIC best 12.09 per set last week
- Led a Wolves offense that hit .273 in three matches  
- Led the team’s net defense with nine blocks and added 33 total digs
- Recorded a team best four aces, as well as four kills

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#3 Maddy Guetter (AUGIE) helped lead Augustana to a 2-0 win over Upper Iowa and Winona State this weekend. Guetter reached her 1000th kill with the Vikings this weekend tallying 51 kills with 5.10 a set. She led the Vikings in total points with 57.5. Guetter delivered four aces this weekend to keep her in the lead of the NSIC in total aces (44) and aces per set (.52).
#24 Hallie Mertz (BSU) totaled 35 kills over two matches and seven sets to average 5.00 kills per set. She hit .253 over the weekend in 87 attacks. Began the weekend with 17 kills in a 3-0 win at Minot State then tied a career-high with 18 kills in the Beavers’ 3-1 loss at Mary. Also led the Beavers with four service aces over the weekend. 
#2 Nehkyah Ellis (UMary) led the Marauders to three straight wins on the week as she averaged 3.82 kills and 2.27 digs per set and hit .305 over three matches. She opened with 8 kills and 12 digs in a road win at Minot State. She set a career-high for kills with 17 in a win over UMC, hitting .452 in the process and making six digs. She wrapped up home schedule with another 17 kills with a .349 hitting percentage and 7 digs in a win over BSU.
#6 Cianna Selbitschka (UMD) recorded 41 kills on a kills per set clip of 3.73 across three matches this past week. The 3.73 k/s was good for ninth in the NSIC in that span. Selbitschka’s 22 kills against  No. 7 St. Cloud State was a new season-high. Her hitting percentage of .650 against MSU Moorhead was also a season-best. Selbitschka leads the Bulldogs in kills with 290 and kills per set with 3.30.
#5 Alexandra Koontz (MINOT) had a double-double in the Beavers first win of the season, in four sets against Minnesota Crookston, recording a season-high 15 kills and adding in 16 digs, one day after leading the team with 9 kills against Bemidji State.
#19 Sally Gaul (NSU) led Northern State with 48 kills and a .336 attack percentage last week. She averaged 4.36 kills per set, notching 11 versus MSUM, 12 against UMD, and 25 versus SCSU. Defensively she recorded 33 digs (3.00 per set) and four blocks. She added three aces and one assist.
#3 Sadie Voss (USF) had 41 kills in three matches to help lead USF to two top-5 upset victories over CSP and SMSU. She averaged an attacking percentage of .286 on 98 attempts throughout those three matches. She helped lead USF to a 3-0 week with wins over No. 5 SMSU, Minnesota State and No. 2 CSP. 
#21 Sidney Paulson (WSU) averaged 3.33 kills per set to lead the Warriors across three matches this past week. She totaled 40 total kills throughout the week with a team-high 19 kills against Augustana. Recorded 2.00 digs per set and notched a 1.000 serve receive percentage on 68 total attempts.

DEFENSE
#22 Kaia Sueker (UMary) totaled 62 digs (5.17/set) with six assists and two aces over 12 sets. She opened the week with 19 digs in road win over Minot State. She followed with 17 digs and three assists in home win over UMC. She closed out the 2022 home schedule with 19 digs, two aces and two assists in a win over Bemidji State.
#3 Kendal Braun (MINOT) turned in a new career-high with 18 digs Friday against Bemidji State, then turned in 15 digs in the Beavers first win of the season Saturday against Minnesota Crookston.
#16 Madison Langlie (NSU) led the Northern State defense with 43 digs, averaging 3.91 per set. She tallied a week high 21 digs against MSU Moorhead, averaging 5.25 per set in the win. She added eight assists and one ace. 
#6 Caitlin Kellner (USF) had a career high 21 digs against No. 5 SMSU and 35 on the week. She helped lead USF to two top-5 upset victories and 3-0 on the week. 
#12 Phebie Rossi (SCSU) led the NSIC in blocks/set for the second-straight week with 1.46. She also led the league with 19 total blocks. She hit .367 and scored the second-most points/set in the league with 4.35.
#3 Casey Volkmann (WSU) notched a career-high 33 digs in a four-set loss to Upper Iowa last week. She recorded 61 digs across three matches for an average of 5.08 digs per set. She also contributed on the offensive end to lead the Warriors with four serving aces over the week. 

SETTER
#9 Avery Thorson (AUGIE) helped lead AU to a 2-0 win over Upper Iowa and Winona State this weekend. Accomplished a career high 66 assists in the match against Upper Iowa. Thorson put up 128 assist this weekend averaging 10.8 a set.
#4 Emily Wade (BSU) aided the Beavers offense to a .185 hitting percentage over the weekend by setting the ball for 71 assists and a 10.14 assists per set average. Had a set percentage of .338 in 210 attempts. Also finished third on the team with 19 digs defensively and contributed six kills on offense.
#5 Teagan Starkey (CSP) contributed 11.31 assists per set (147 total assists) on the week. She added 1.92 digs per set, 0.54 blocks per set, 0.23 aces per set and 0.31 kills per set. She had at least 40 assists in all three matches, clearing 50 in each of the final two. She picked up her fifth double-double of the year against USF. 
#7 Madison Gordon (UMD) averaged 11.18 assists per set across three matches this past week, good for fourth in the NSIC in that span. She crossed 1000 assists on the season over the week. Gordon leads the Bulldogs in assists with 1064 on an assists per set clip of 11.32 that puts her at seventh in the country in that stat. 
#2 Jaina Macaulay (MINOT) led the way with 24 assists in the Beavers first win of the season, a 4-set victory over Minnesota Crookston, after dishing out 8 assists on Friday against Bemidji State.
#18 Elise Gillen (USF) dished out 79 assists on the weekend helping lead USF to a 3-0 week with two top-5 upset victories. She leads USF with 611 assists on the season as a freshman.
#18 Emma Berran (SCSU) posted 10.23 assists per set as the Huskies went 2-1. She directed the offense to put away 13.54 kills/set on .251 hitting.
#14 Rachel Walker (WSC) had two double-doubles, averaging 10.09 assists, 3.00 digs and 0.55 blocks per set in home wins over Augustana, Winona State and Upper Iowa. She had a season-high six kills with 14 digs and 27 assists in Tuesday 3-0 sweep over Augustana. She handed out 43 assists with 12 digs and three blocks in Saturday 3-2 win over Upper Iowa. She was credited with 41 assists in Friday’s 3-0 sweep over Winona State.
#2 Jaci Winchell (WSU) tallied a career-high 55 set assists against Augustana on Saturday. She totaled 126 total assists across three matches last week for an average of 10.5 assists/set. She notched her 12th and 13th double doubles of the season this past week.
 
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

10/24/22
O: #5 Sydney Lanoue - Minnesota Duluth
D: #12 Phebie Rossi - St. Cloud State (2) 
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (6)

10/31/22
O: #18 Maggie Brahmer - Wayne State (2)
D: #2 Erika Bute - Augustana (4)
S: #20 Keri Walker - Northern 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.