For Immediate Release
Monday, October 28, 2024
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#8 Kenzie Foley (OH, 6-1, 5th, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton HS) - St. Cloud State
- Led the NSIC in kills/set (5.22) and points/set (6.11) over three matches
- Tied for fourth in aces/set (0.78) and ninth in hitting % (.360)
- Also contributed 2.11 digs/set
- Recorded a match-high 19 kills on .467 hitting in SCSU’s home sweep of UMC on Tuesday
- Tallied a match-high 16 kills, eight digs and match-high two aces in a road sweep of No. 22 NSU
- Posted a match-high 12 kills, seven digs and season-high four aces in a road sweep of MSUM
- SCSU has extended its best conference start in program history (13-0)
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the sixth time this season (9/9, 9/16, 10/7, 10/14 & 10/21)

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#3 Abby Meister (DS/L, 5-6, Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D. / Harrisburg HS) - Northern State
- Recorded a 62-dig week, averaging 6.20 digs per set over three matches
- Tallied the 1000th dig of her Northern State career on Saturday against Minnesota Duluth
- Added three service aces and two assists
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/9/24)

NSIC Setter of the Week
#4 Sydney Thein (S, 5-9, R-Fr., Clara City, Minn. / MACCRAY HS) - SMSU
- Led the NSIC over the week with 14.60 assists per set (73 total) in SMSU’s 1-0 week
- Put up a career and season-high 73 assists in the 3-2 reverse sweep of No. 7 Wayne State
- Helped the Mustangs to a season-best 79 kills on a .235 hitting percentage
- Her 73 assists tied the second-most in a single match in SMSU program history
- Added 15 digs on defense for her 13th double-double of the season
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the third time this season (9/23/24 & 9/30/24)

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Sophia Andersen (CSP)
- Paced the Concordia offense with 3.78 kills per set (34 total) in a 2-0 week
- Logged a match-high 18 kills on .395 hitting in a win over Minnesota State
- Led the team with 16 kills on .205 hitting in a win over Winona State
- Ranks fifth in the NSIC with 3.29 kills per set this season
Kiya Durant (MSU)
- Had 26 kills in two matches for the Mavericks this weekend
- Hit .470 with two aces and five total blocks
- Against #11 CSP, had 13 kills with a .684 hitting percentage and two block assists
- Had 13 kills with a .344 hit percentage, served up two aces and had three blocks versus Augustana
- Leads the Mavericks with 72 total blocks in 2024
Hanna Thompson (NSU)
- Led Northern State with 40 kills in their 2-1 week
- Averaged 4.0 kills per set with a .293 attach percentage
- Added six digs, four blocks, and one service ace
- Hit a league play season high .481 against St. Cloud State with 15 kills
Taya Beller (WSC)
- Averaged 3.46 kills and 1.15 blocks per set in three matches
- Had 17 kills and eight blocks in 3-2 loss to #12 SMSU Thursday
- Added 17 kills and four blocks in Saturday's 3-2 win over USF

DEFENSE
Jada Wlodarczyk (BSU)
- Led the NSIC with 6.55 digs per set last week
- Posted 72 digs over three matches and 11 sets a
- Recorded a career-high 31 digs at Minot State to help the Beavers to their first NSIC win of the season
- Then followed with 28 digs Saturday at Mary to also help the Beavers to victory
McKenzie Tolk (SMSU)
- Led the SMSU defense over the week with 6.00 digs per set (30 total)
- Posted a career-high 30 digs in the 3-2 reverse sweep and upset win over No. 7 Wayne State
- Supported the offense with three assists

SETTER
Teagan Starkey (CSP)
- Averaged 12.00 assists per set in a 2-0 week for the Golden Bears
- Logged a 55-assist, 11-dig double-double in a win over Minnesota State
- Finished with a 53-assist, 11-dig double-double in a win over Winona State
- Leads the NSIC and all of NCAA Division II with 12.73 assists per set this season
Emma Berran (SCSU)
- Ranked second in the NSIC in assists/set (13.44) and third in assists (121)
- Guided the offense to a conference-best .342 hitting percentage
- Also averaged 1.89 digs/set, 0.94 points/set, 0.56 kills/set and 0.44 blocks/set
- Posted a match-high 42 assists and seven digs in SCSU’s home sweep of UMC on Tuesday
- Recorded match-high 42 assists, four digs and two block assists in Friday’s road sweep of No. 22 NSU
- Tallied a match-high 37 assists, six digs, four kills  and one solo block in a road sweep of MSUM

 
NSIC Volleyball Players of the Week
9/9/24
O: #8 Kenzie Foley - St. Cloud State
D: #3 Abby Meister - Northern State 
S: #21 Keri Walker - Northern State
9/16/24
O: #8 Kenzie Foley - St. Cloud State (2)
D: #12 Emily Kern - Minnesota State
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul
9/23/24
O: #12 Natalia Szybinska  - Northern State
D: #14 Claudia Stahlke - Concordia-St. Paul
S: #4 Sydney Thein - SMSU
9/30/24
O:#10 Leah Jones  - SMSU
D: #7 Cassie Sieling - Concordia-St. Paul
S: #4 Sydney Thein - SMSU (2)
10/7/24
O: #8 Kenzie Foley - St. Cloud State (3)
D: #9 Ella Thompson - St. Cloud State
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (2)
10/14/24
O: #8 Kenzie Foley - St. Cloud State (4)
D: #13 Taya Beller  - Wayne State
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (3)
10/21/24
O: #8 Kenzie Foley - St. Cloud State (5)
D: #9 Brooke Peltz - Wayne State
S: #5 Teagan Starkey - Concordia-St. Paul (4)
10/28/24
O: #8 Kenzie Foley - St. Cloud State (6)
D: #3 Abby Meister - Northern State (2)
S: #4 Sydney Thein - SMSU (3)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in 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 union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 116 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.