For Immediate Release
Monday, September 29, 2025
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#4 Chloe Hanel (MH, 6-0, So., Clarkson, Neb. / Clarkson-Leigh HS) - Wayne State
- Averaged 3.82 kills and 1.18 blocks per set in three home wins
- Posted  an NSIC best .556 hitting percentage with 42 kills and two errors on 72 attacks 
- Posted career-high 24 kills with five blocks in Friday’s 3-2 win over #16 Minnesota Duluth
- Had 11 kills and five blocks in Tuesday’s 3-0 sweep over Augustana

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#16 Emily Rohrer (MB/RS, 6-1, Jr., Slayton, Minn. / Murray County Centra) - SMSU
- Led the NSIC with 1.67 blocks per set in two matches
- Had one solo block and nine block assists in the Mustangs two sweeps this weekend 
- Added 10 kills on the weekend, with six against Minnesota Crookston

NSIC Setter of the Week
#14 Braya LaPlant (S, 5-11, So., Grand Rapids, Minn. / Grand Rapids HS) - St. Cloud State
- Led NSIC in assists per set at 12.20 while contributing 2.50 digs per set
- Guided the Huskies offense to a league-leading 15.30 kills per set 
- The .302 team hitting percentage was second best in the league last week
- Posted a 46-assist, 17-dig double-double in Tuesday’s four set win at (RV) Minnesota State
- The 17 digs were a new career high mark for a single match

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Madeline Guetzkow (Minnesota Duluth)
- Led the NSIC with 5.46 points and 4.69 kills per set in a 2-1 week
- Hit .381 with a league-best 61 kills in 13 sets
- Added 39 digs, nine total blocks, five service aces and nine assists
- Had 22 kills and a career-high 21 digs at No. 14 Wayne State
- Had a career-best 25 kills and 11 digs at Augustana
- Hit .522 with 14 kills, seven digs and four total blocks at home vs. Bemidji State
Aubrey Gates (Sioux Falls)
- Lead USF to a 3-0 week with a big upset win over No. 8 SMSU
- Had a career high 20 kills against SMSU on a .375 attack
- Recorded a career high attacking percentage against UMC a .643 with 9 kills on 14 attacks 
- Landed 40 kills on the week with a .438 attack and 5 block assists
Shelby Kimm (St. Cloud State)
- Ranked second in kills/set (4.10), seventh in points/set (4.25), seventh in hitting percentage (.391) and tied for ninth in digs/set (4.00)
- Contributed a 15-kill, 11-dig double-double in Tuesday’s four set win at (RV) Minnesota State
- Tallied a 14-dig, 12-kill double-double in Friday’s road sweep of Jamestown
- Recorded a 15-dig, 14-kill double-double in Saturday’s road sweep of No. 18 Northern State
- Now has four double-doubles this season after putting up three consecutive last week

DEFENSE
Madison Reed (Minnesota Duluth)
- Averaged 5.31 digs per set in helping the Bulldogs to a pair of wins last week
- Her 69 total digs were the most in the NSIC over the course of the week
- Average was the third highest in the league
- Also dished out 14 assists for the Bulldogs
- Career-high 33 digs and five assists at No. 14 Wayne State
- Added 19 digs, a career-best six assists and three service aces at Augustana 
Maci Lerseth (Sioux Falls)
- Helped lead USF to a 3-0 week with a big upset win over No. 8 SMSU
- Landed a career high 23 Digs against SMSU along with 8 assists
- Recorded 47 digs on the weekend with 12 assists
Laurin Hamann (St. Cloud State
- Ranked fourth in the NSIC in digs/set (5.20)
- Recorded 20 digs in Tuesday’s four set win at (RV) Minnesota State
- Posted 22 digs in Saturday’s road sweep of No. 18 Northern State
- Her 22 digs were the second most of her career in a single match
- She has three 20+ digs matches this season after her two this week

SETTER
Ava Jones  (Minnesota Duluth)
- Averaged 11.92 assists per set over three matches 
- Average was the second-highest mark in the NSIC, while her 155 total assists were the most 
- Helped the Bulldogs notch a .290 hitting percentage in three matches
- Had 37 assists, four digs and three blocks against the BSU
- Posted back-to-back double-doubles with a career-high 64 assists and 14 digs at No. 14 WSC 
- Added 54 assists and a career-best 18 digs at Augustana
- Tallied her 1,000th career assist against the Vikings
Jadyn Lester (Minnesota State)
- Totaled 129 assists across three matches
- Set a career high with 45 assists against No. 15 St. Cloud State
- Added a career-best five kills in the match
 
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

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.