For Immediate Release
Monday, October 13, 2025
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#7 Abby Brooks (MH, 6-2, Gr., Madison, S.D. / Madison HS) – Northern State
- Led Northern State with 31 kills in wins over No. 13 Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State
- Hit .472 in the two wins and averaged 4.43 kills per set
- Added eight blocks, averaging 1.14 per set
- Tied for lead in NSIC in points per set last week, averaging 5.07
- Named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/15/25) 

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#4 Chloe Hanel (MH, 6-0, So., Clarkson, Neb. / Clarkson-Leigh HS) – Wayne State
- Averaged 2.25 blocks and 3.75 kills per set in wins over two Top 25 teams
- Tied single game school record with 13 blocks to go with 18 kills in a 3-2 win over No. 10 SCSU
- Notched 12 kills and five blocks in Friday 3-0 sweep over No. 22 Minnesota State
- For the weekend, hit .400 against MSU and SCSU
- Second NSIC Player of the Week honor this season (Offensive POW on 9/29/25)

NSIC Setter of the Week
#9 Ava Nilsson (S, 6-0, R-Fr., Mansfield, S.D. / Warner HS) – Northern State 
- Averaged a league leading 14.29 assists per set in wins over No. 13 UMD and BSU
- Tallied 100 total assists, added five digs, five blocks, and two kills
- Paced the Wolves to a league best .388 attack percentage on the weekend
- Ranks first in the nation in assists per set thus far, averaging 12.10
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the second week in a row

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Lily Riese (Bemidji State)
- Marked a career-high 26 kills and points against No. 23 NSU, helping to force four sets
- Totaled 45 kills against UJ and NSU
- Finished the weekend with a .315 hitting percentage
- Added one assisted block
- Hit a career best .512 against NSU, leading the team
- Led the NSIC last weekend with 5.00 kills per set
- Is 10th in the conference with kills at 215, 3.41 per set
- Is 18th in the NSIC with 3.57 points per set, 225 total
Makenna Nold (Concordia-St. Paul)
- Averaged 4.38 kills per set over the weekend for CSP
- Logged two double-doubles
- Recorded a career high 25 kills with 14 digs and four blocks against No. 17 SMSU
- Had 10 kills, 11 digs, and three blocks in a sweep of USF
- Leads the NSIC in kills per set and points per set this season
Emily Kern (Minnesota State)
- Totaled 30 kills over two matches
- Set a career high with 16 kills and earned 19.5 points against Augustana
- Recorded a season-high two aces
- Added 14 kills in three sets against No. 11 Wayne State
- Tallied seven block assists over the weekend
Brielle Riess (MSU Moorhead)
- Tallied 31 total kills (3.87 k/s) in a pair of Dragon victories over Minot State and UMary
- Totaled nine kills and two total blocks in a three-set win over the Beavers on Friday
- Racked up a double-double of 22 kills and 12 digs in a reverse sweep over UMary
- Scored three service aces on Saturday as well
- Finished the weekend with a .243 hitting percentage
Mya Krystosek (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Had 29 kills in the Mustangs 2-0 weekend
- Averaged 4.5 kills per set and hitting .347
- Had 17 kills in a five-set win over No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul
- Hit .333 in the match, and was second in digs with 17
- Led the team with 12 kills in a sweep against Winona State
- Hit .367 with five digs in the match 

DEFENSE
Caroline Puetz (Jamestown)
- Had 16 total blocks in a pair of matches for Jamestown (N.D.) last week
- Recorded 10 blocks (9 assisted) in UJ's five-set win over Bemidji State
- Added 6 blocks (5 assisted) in a loss to No. 13 Minnesota Duluth
Kailee Waasdorp (Minnesota Crookston)
- Finished with 39 digs in a three set loss to Minot State
- The 39 digs tied the UMC school record  
- The 39 digs are the most in a three set match in NSIC dating back through the 2001 season
Maya Vibeto (Minot State)
- Recorded 43 digs as Minot State split a pair of NSIC matches at home,
- The 7.17 digs per set ranked second in the NSIC last week

SETTER
Braya LaPlant (St. Cloud State)
- Led the NSIC in total assists (109) and ranked second in assists/set (13.63)
- Also contributed 3.00 digs/set and 1.19 points/set
- Helped guide the SCSU offense to 16.50 kills/set, which led the NSIC
- Recorded a 71-assist, 21-dig double-double in a five set road loss at No. 11 Wayne State
- It was her fifth double-double of the season and her 21 digs were a new single match career high
- Her 71 assists were the most in any NSIC match this week and were the second most in any match this season
Sydney Thein (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Had 96 assists in the Mustangs 2-0 weekend
- Averaged 12.00 assists per set
- Had 59 assists in a five-set upset win over No. 8 ranked Concordia-St. Paul
- Added 37 assists against Winona State
- Had 20 digs on the weekend, eight against CSP and 12 against Winona State 
- Amassed four total blocks against Winona State
Molly Romano (Wayne State)
- Averaged 11.75 assists with 2.50 digs per set in home wins over #22 MSU and #10 SCSU
- Handed out 54 assists with 13 digs in 3-2 win over #10 SCSU for seventh double-double of season
- Credited with 40 assists and three blocks in Friday 3-0 sweep over #22 Minnesota State

 
NSIC Volleyball Players of the Week
9/8/25
O: #2 Madison Carsten – Minnesota Crookston
D: #6 Kailee Waasdorp  – Minnesota Crookston 
S: #9 Ava Jones – Minnesota Duluth 
9/15/25
O: #7 Abby Brooks – Northern State
D: #8 Maya Wente - Augustana
S: #4 Sydney Thein - SMSU
9/22/25
O: #4 Avery Rosenberg - Minnesota State
D: #3 Makenna Nold - Concordia-St. Paul
S: #10 Jadyn Lester - Minnesota State
9/29/25
O: #4 Chloe Hanel - Wayne State
D: #16 Emily Rohrer - SMSU
S: #14 Braya LaPlant - St. Cloud State
10/6/25
O: #3 Makenna Nold - Concordia-St. Paul
D: #11 Ellie Kline – Minnesota State
S: #9 Ava Nilsson – Northern State
10/13/25
O: #7 Abby Brooks – Northern State (2)
D: #4 Chloe Hanel - Wayne State
S: #9 Ava Nilsson – Northern State (2)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-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 122 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.