For Immediate Release
Monday, September 19, 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
- Averaged a NSIC-leading 5.17 kills per set as CSP swept USF and SMSU
- Collected kills on over half of her swings as she finished the weekend at 31-8-60 (.383)
- Chipped in 2.33 digs per set (14 total digs) and 0.83 blocks per set (five total blocks)
- Put up a massive 18-3-33 line with eight digs against USF as she hit .455 with 6.00 kills per set
- Ranks 10th in the nation and second in the NSIC with 4.49 kills per set
- Named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season (8/29/22)

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#9 Katie Mattson (OH/RS, 5-10, Jr., St. Croix Falls, Wis. / Luck HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Led the NSIC with 2.33 blocks per set (14 total blocks) in CSP’s sweeps of USF and SMSU
- Had a career-high nine blocks as CSP held SMSU to .113 hitting on Saturday
- Ranks 10th in the NSIC in blocks per set and 13th in hitting percentage
- Added 2.17 kills per set (13 total kills) and a .300 hitting percentage on the weekend

NSIC Setter of the Week
#13 Halle Bemmels (S, 5-7, So., Le Sueur, Minn. / Le Sueur-Henderson HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Put up an NSIC best 13.67 assists per set (82 total assists) in wins over USF and SMSU
- Added 3.00 digs per set (18 total digs) and 0.50 aces per set (three total aces)
- Picked up her first career double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs against SMSU
- Set a career-best with 47 assists (15.67 per set) to go along with seven digs and two aces against USF

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#6 Kate Reimann (AUGIE) led AU in multiple categories this past weekend. She led in total kills with 26 (.222) averaging 3.25 a set. She also led in total points with 26.5 while adding 2 aces, 1 block, and 20 digs.
#20 Lauren Sitter (BSU) averaged 2.50 kills per set after totaling 15 kills in 23 attacks and just three errors to help the Beavers to their first weekend sweep since 2018. She hit a team-high .522 over the weekend including hitting .571 with 10 kills against Minot State, Saturday. She also helped the Beavers’ defensively and recorded seven blocks (7a) for a 1.17 blocks per set average over the weekend with five blocks against Minot State.
#1 Audrey Cariveau (UMC) had 17 kills in Friday Nights five-set win against Minot State. She toppled previous her career-high in five-set loss to UMary with 29 kills. She set a school record with 29 kills against the Marauders. Had 137 total attacks in two matches this past weekend and also collected career-high 15 digs against UMary. 
#6 Cianna Selbitschka (UMD) had 30 kills (5 K/S) on a .382 hitting percentage across two wins this weekend.
#11 Kylie Koontz (MINOT) led the way offensively both nights for Minot State, including a career-high 17 kills in a five-set battle Friday at Minnesota Crookston. Saturday she added a team-high 6 kills at Bemidji State.
#10 Makena Hollman (SCSU) led the NSIC with a .567 hitting percentage while putting away 17 kills on 30 swings with zero errors. She guided the Huskies to a 2-0 weekend against Northern State and MSUM, providing a career output from the right pin.
#11 Kelsie Cada (WSC) averaged 3.73 kills and 3.91 digs in three WSC wins. She had three double-doubles and tied career high with 16 kills and 14 digs in 3-1 road win at Upper Iowa Friday. She posted 14 kills and 15 digs in 3-1 win at Winona State Saturday. She had 11 kills and 14 digs in 3-0 win over Peru State Tuesday.
#16 Madison Larson (WSU) put up some strong offensive numbers for Winona State in a pair of matches against two of the top teams in the country. She racked up 28 total kills in 8 sets played. She had a team-best .351 hitting percentage vs. Augustana University. She also collected five digs  and averaged 3.50 kills/set. 

DEFENSE
#2 Erika Bute (AUGIE) had an impressive 43 digs this past weekend averaging 5.38 a set. She achieved 3 aces and delivered 3.5 points. Bute leads the NSIC in both total digs with 202 and digs per set with 5.18.
#11 Lauren Justesen (BSU) led the Beavers to their first weekend sweep since 2018 by earning 29 digs defensively for a 4.83 digs per set average. She totaled 18 digs in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Minot State and recorded 11 digs in Friday’s three-set win over Mary. She also added eight assists and on service ace.
#14 Maddie Cooper (UMary) was part of 12 blocks in the Marauders 3-2 win at UMC. She had five solo and seven assisted blocks in the game. For the weekend, she averaged 1.63 blocks/set and hit .364 and averaged 2.25 kills/set (18 kills-2 errors-4 attacks). Had 6 kills and no errors at BSU and 12 kills at UMC.
#12 Grace Daak (UMD) had 10 total blocks (1.67 B/S) across two matches this weekend. The current national leader in blocks per set is working at a clip of 1.55 B/S.
#18 Kiya Durant (MSU) recorded 11 blocks in total (3 solo blocks and 8 block assists) vs Sioux Falls along with 3 assists, an ace, and 8 kills. She added 5 blocks assists, and 2 digs (while hitting .318 with 9 kills against Southwest Minnesota State. Scored 27.5 points for MSU last weekend.
#10 Macie Wieman (MSUM) had 34 digs in two matches against top-ten ranked teams. She had 20 digs against No. 10 UMD and added 14 against No. 7 St. Cloud State to averaged 5.67 digs per set.
#1 Viktoria Sedova (MINOT) had a career-high 16 digs on Friday night for the Beavers in a five-set match at Minnesota Crookston, then led the way defensively on Saturday with a team-best 9 digs at Bemidji State.
#4 Linsey Rachel (SCSU) led the Huskies with 4.0 digs/set as SCSU went 2-0 against Northern State and MSUM. She anchored a defense that held opponents to hit just .100 on the weekend.
#6 Jessie Brandl (WSC) averaged 5.18 digs per set in three Wildcat wins during the week. She had career-best 24 digs with three service aces in 3-1 road win at Upper Iowa Friday. She added another 24 digs in Saturday’s 3-1 road win at Winona State.
#21 Sidney Paulson (WSU) collected 39 total digs on the weekend. She had a team-best 28 digs vs. Wayne State and also had five block assists on the weekend. She racked up 26 total kills between the two matches. 

SETTER
#9 Avery Thorson (AUGIE) aided the AU offense this past weekend with 75 assists averaging 9.38 a set. She reigned in two aces and three blocks while totaling 8.5 points on the weekend.
#6 Natalie Koke (UMC) had 91 total assists in two matches. She had a career-high 53 against UMary.  She added 11 kills on the weekend and a season-high 17 digs against UMary. She collected fourth double-double of season as well.
#7 Madison Gordon (UMD) had 64 assists (10.67 A/S) on a .395 percentage across two wins.
#9 Lucia Mercolini (MINOT), the true freshman from Italy,  dished out a career-high 11 assists coming off the bench Saturday at Bemidji State. She also added 8 assists on Friday at Minnesota Crookston.
#18 Elise Gillen (USF) helped lead the Cougars to a victory over Minnesota State as she tallied 57 total assists on the weekend, including 37 against MSU. She collected 16 total digs on the weekend.
#18 Emma Berran (SCSU) was second in the NSIC with 12.17 assists/set last weekend. She led the Huskies to a 2-0 showing over Northern State and MSUM, directing the offense to hit .342. SCSU put away the third-most kills per set in the league while finishing second in hitting percentage.
#2 Jaci Winchell (WSU) spearheaded the Winona State offense in two matches against top NSIC competition. She collected 74 total assists across the two matches. She had 43 helpers in four-set loss to Wayne State and notched two service aces. She had a 9.25 assist/set mark for the weekend.
 
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

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.