For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 6, 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
- Named Most Valuable Player of the Colorado Premier Challenge
- Led WSC to 5-0 record during weekend and tournament title
- Averaged 3.33 kills, 1.27 blocks per set with .467 hitting percentage
- Had career-high 20 kills and matched career best with 10 blocks in a 3-2 win over #12 West Texas A&M
- Had 13 kills and seven blocks in Friday’s 3-1 win over Azusa Pacific
- Added 12 kills in Monday’s 3-0 win at Chadron State

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#2 Erika Bute (L, 5-5, Sr., Alden, Minn. / Alden-Conger HS) - Augustana
- Led Augustana in total digs during the Augustana Volleyball Classic 
- Had 101 digs, averaging a NSIC best 6.31 digs per set
- Added five service aces and six points to finish off the weekend as Augustana improved to 8-0 
- Recorded a career high 44 total digs vs Truman State

NSIC Setter of the Week
#5 Teagan Starkey (S, 5-8, So., Lakeville, Minn. / South HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Named to Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team 
- Averaged a NSIC best 12.69 assists per set (203 total assists) over the weekend 
- Chipped in 2.56 digs per set (41 total digs) 
- Collected a pair of double-doubles 
- Registered career-highs in assists (62) against WWU and digs (18) against Lewis 
- Leads the NSIC in assists per set (13.03)
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the second week in a row

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#3 Maddy Guetter (AUGIE) led Augustana across the board this weekend in kills, aces, and points during the Augustana Volleyball Classic. Guetter finished the weekend with 60 kills, 10 service aces, and 75.5 points. Her best performance was in the sweep of Northern State with 18 kills, 2 aces, and 21 points.
#8 Jasmine Mulvihill (CSP) was named to the Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team as she led CSP with 4.38 kills per set (70 total kills) while hitting .234 on the weekend. She added 2.94 digs per set, 0.50 blocks per set and 0.38 aces per set. She extended her streak to eight straight matches with 15+ kills to start the year. She collected a pair of double-doubles and leads the NSIC in kills per set (4.70) on the season.
#11 Samantha Paulsen (UMD) had 46 kills across four matches in the UIndy Invitational, ranking 10th in the tournament in kills per set with 2.88. She had double-digit kills in every match. She put up these numbers on a .350 hitting percentage, which was the highest percentage in the tournament for any player with at least 10 sets played. Paulsen played in 16 sets and had 100 total attempts. Her team went 4-0.
#15 Bridget Witzmann (MSUM) had 42 kills in four matches at the Augustana tournament. She had a season-high 19 kills in a sweep of Truman State and added 10 kills against South Dakota School of Mines. She had double-digit kills in six of eight matches this season.
#5 Alexandra Koontz (MINOT) led the way offensively in all three matches while also being one of the team-leaders defensively in digs in two matches in the Beavers matches at the Chadron State Tournament.
#19 Sally Gaul (NSU) led NSU with 49 kills, averaging 4.08 per set. She tallied a .284 attack percentage and added 28 digs, ten blocks, and four aces. 
#3 Sadie Voss (USF) had 19 kills against Chadron State and hit .500 in the match.  
#5 Saari Kuehl (SMSU) led the Mustangs with 52 kills in 14 sets to help SMSU to another 4-0 weekend. She collected a career-high 20 kills on a .381 hitting percentage in a victory over Missouri Western State. She ranks 5th in the NSIC with 102 kills and 7th with 3.52 kills per set.
#8 Kenzie Foley  (SCSU) led the NSIC in both kills and points per set over the weekend with 4.60 and 5.25 respectively. She posted the third-best hitting percentage in the league while leading all outside hitters with a .422 mark. She was named to the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach All-Tournament Team while leading No. 8 St. Cloud State to a 4-0 weekend. She hit .429 or better in three of the Huskies’ four matches and had a pair of double-doubles. She put away 20 kills in a straight-set win over Palm Beach Atlantic, the most by a Husky in a three-set match since 2007. She added two aces, 30 digs and seven blocks as part of her dominant weekend. She has now recorded double-digit kills in seven of eight matches.
#17 Zoe Semelroth (UIU) knocked down 40 kills in 11 sets (3.64) with a .385 hitting percentage to lead UIU to a 3-0 weekend. The UIU middle also added 7 aces and 13 blocks (1.18) on the court. For the season, Semelroth has recorded a team-high 80 kills, 9 aces and 22 blocks.
#16 Madison Larson (WSU) was a key part of WSU’s 2-1 weekend at the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toro Invite. She had hitting percentages of .367, .333 & .303 across three matches. She racked up 49 total kills and five digs. She also had a solo block and block assist vs. Western Colorado. 

DEFENSE
#22 Kaia Sueker (UMary) posted 78 digs over two days at the Gorilla Volleyball Classic and averaged 5.2 digs/set. She wrapped up the weekend with an amazing 38 digs in four sets against Cameron. The 38 digs are the most by a UMary player since 49 by Kendra Hobbs in 2007. The next highest weekend total for Sueker was 21 against New Mexico Highlands.
#12 Grace Daak (UMD) led the UIndy Invitational with 21 total blocks and 1.31 B/S across four matches. Her team went 4-0 in the process.
#10 Macie Wieman (MSUM) had 47 digs in four matches, averaging nearly 4 digs per set. She had a career-high 25 digs in sweep of Truman State and 13 in a loss to South Dakota School of Mines. 
#1 Viktoria Sedova (MINOT) led the defense for the Beavers at the Chadron State Tournament and turned in her 2nd-highest effort in digs with 11 against the host school.
Madison Langlie (NSU) led the Northern State defense with 59 digs, averaging 4.92 per set. She added ten service aces and nine assists. She recorded a career high 24 digs, averaging 8.0 per set, versus Truman State. She tallied double figure digs in all four matches on the weekend. 
#5 Keely Kurschner (SCSU) quarterbacked the No. 8 Huskies to a 4-0 performance at the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach, guiding a defense that held their opponents to a .135 hitting percentage. She tied for the second-most aces in the NSIC with nine and averaged 3.25 digs per set.
#3 Kaci Beesecker (UIU) led the backline defense with 59 digs (5.36/set) and added an ace and six assists. The sophomore grabbed 18 digs against Parkside, 20 against McKendree and 21 in a three-set win over Illinois Springfield over the weekend. Her 110 digs lead the team and she has a 3.93 per set average through 28 sets.
#3 Casey Volkmann (WSU) turned in a strong defensive performance for Winona State in their 2-1 weekend at the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toro Invite. She collected 55 total digs on the weekend and a weekend best 29 digs against CSDH. She had six service aces and 12 assists on the weekend. 
SETTER
#9 Avery Thorson (AUGIE) led Augustana in assists this weekend at the Augustana Volleyball Classic with 175 assists averaging 10.94 per set. Thorson capped off the weekend with 22 kills, 5 aces, and 7 total blocks to help Augustana grasp an 8-0 record.
#7 Madison Gordon (UMD) posted 179 assists (11.19 A/S) on a .436 percentage across four matches in the UIndy Invitational. She led the invitational in both assists and assists per set. She was her team’s primary facilitator in each of the four matches. The team went 4-0 in the process. She had 66 assists in a 3-2 win against Missouri-St. Louis on Friday, September 2nd.
#11 Emily Skalicky (MSUM) had 98 set assists in four matches at the Augustana tournament. She had a career-high 43 set assists in sweep of Truman State on Saturday and 27 assists against South Dakota School of  Mines. She also had 31 digs in four matches. 
#2 Jaina Macaulay (MINOT) led the way as setter for the Beavers at the Chadron State Tournament and turned in her 2nd-best career effort with 31 assists against the host school.
#18 Emma Berran (SCSU) directed the NSIC’s top offense in Week 2 to hit .334, nearly 50 points higher than the next-best team. She averaged 10.10 assists per set while guiding the Huskies to a 4-0 showing at the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach.
#20 Keri Walker (NSU) paced the Northern State offense with 141 assists, averaging 11.75 per set. NSU hit .285 as a team through four sets. She added 34 digs, eight blocks, four kills, and three aces.
#10 Nicole Pozorski  (UIU) paced the Peacock attack with 120 assists (10.91/set) and fed the UIU hitters to earn an undefeated 3-0 record. She added 28 digs, 8 blocks and 12 kills in her time on the court. Her best match this season came on Friday against Parkside when she registered 48 assists (12/set) and added 9 digs, 7 kills and 2 blocks.
#14 Rachel Walker (WSC) was named to Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team, helping WSC to 5-0 weekend. She was credited with a weekend-best 48 assists with nine digs in Saturday’s 3-2 win over #12 West Texas A&M. She handed out 40 assists in 3-0 win over #6 Concordia-St. Paul in Saturday’s title match. She had two double-doubles, 37 assists and 11 digs Friday in 3-1 win over Azusa Pacific and 33 assists with 11 digs in Monday’s 3-0 win at Chadron State.
#2 Jaci Winchell (WSU) ran the Winona State offense at the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toro Invite, helping lead WSU to a 2-1 record. She dished out 109 total assists on the weekend. She had 52 assists in five-set win over hosts CSDH. She collected a service ace against Western Colorado  and racked up 21 total digs. 

 

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)

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.