For Immediate Release
Monday, October 19, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#2 Katelyn Schroeder (OH, 5-11, So., Tulare, S.D. / Hitchcock Tulare HS) - Northern State
- Led the NSIC in kills per set (5.00) and points per set (5.43)
- Hit .417 with 35 kills with only five errors
- Recorded 15 kills, 9 digs, and 15.5 points in a win over St. Cloud State
- Posted a 20-kill, 18-dig double-double while hitting .474 in a sweep of Minnesota State
- Added 2 service aces and a pair of block assists on the weekend

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#14 Ashlynn Schroeder (L/DS, 5-9, So., Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire Memorial) - SMSU
- Led SMSU with 37 digs in sweeps of Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead
- Averaged 6.17 digs per set, second best in the NSIC
- Recorded 17 digs and an assist against Minnesota Crookston
- Added 20 digs and 4 assists against MSU Moorhead
- Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row

NSIC Setter of the Week
#9 Ava Nilsson (S, 6-0, Jr., Mansfield, S.D. / Warner HS) - Northern State
- Led the NSIC with 11.71 assists per set
- Totaled 82 assists on the weekend
- Recorded 38 assists against St. Cloud State and 44 against Minnesota State
- Set a season high with 15 digs against Minnesota State
- Recorded double-doubles in both matches
- Added 2 block assists in each contest
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the third time this season (8/31/26 & 9/14/26)

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Maya Wente (Augustana)
- Tallied 27 kills while hitting .379 in a 2-0 weekend for Augustana
- Recorded 8 kills while hitting .533 in a sweep of Minnesota Duluth
- Followed with 19 kills and a .326 hitting percentage in a four-set win over Bemidji State
- Added 4 total blocks and 3 digs on the weekend
- Averaged 3.86 kills per set and 4.21 points per set
Mehlayna Straub (Concordia-St. Paul)
- Led CSP with 4.43 kills per set in a 2-0 week
- Hit .500 across two matches
- Recorded a season-high 19 kills while hitting .576 in a sweep of Minot State
- Added 12 kills while hitting .407 in a win over UMary
- Averaged 1.0 block per set
Avery Klein (Minnesota State)
- Led the team with 30 kills
- Led the team in kills per set and total points
- Tied for the team lead with 3 service aces
- Recorded a team-high 18 kills in a win over Jamestown
Ella Walker (Sioux Falls)
- Led Sioux Falls with 23 kills across two sweeps
- Averaged 3.83 kills per set
- Hit .606 on the weekend with only 3 attacking errors
- Recorded a match-high 13 kills while hitting .765 against Minnesota Crookston
- Added 10 kills against MSU Moorhead
- Finished with 6 total blocks and 26.5 points
- Leads the NSIC in hitting percentage this season
Leah Jones (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Led the Mustangs with 23 kills in sweeps of Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead
- Hit .413 on the weekend
- Recorded 12 kills against Minnesota Crookston
- Added 11 kills while hitting .478 against MSU Moorhead
Delaney Miller (Wayne State College)
- Averaged a team-best 3.43 kills per set in wins over Bemidji State and No. 17 Minnesota Duluth
- Recorded a match-high 16 kills while hitting .351 against Minnesota Duluth
- Ranks among the NSIC leaders in kills per set
Abby Ongna (Winona State)
- Recorded 24 kills, 13 digs, 7 blocks, and 4 assists on the weekend
- Posted 10 kills, 5 digs, and 4 blocks in a sweep of Minot State
- Led the team with 14 kills in a five-set win over UMary
- Added 8 digs, 4 assists, and 3 blocks against the Marauders

DEFENSE
Avery Klein (Minnesota State)
- Led the team with 29 digs
- Led the team in digs per set
- Ranked third on the team with 5 blocks
- Posted a perfect reception percentage on 21 attempts
Maya Vibeto (Minot State)
- Led the Beaver defense with 41 digs on the weekend
- Averaged 20.5 digs per match and 6.83 digs per set
- Recorded 25 digs against No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul, her second-highest total of the season
Persha Victoria (Northern State)
- Totaled 11 blocks, 9 kills, 2 digs, and 15 points on the weekend
- Recorded 5 block assists and 1 solo block in a sweep of Minnesota State
- Added 5 block assists and 2 digs in a win over St. Cloud State
- Contributed 7 kills in key comeback sets against the Huskies
Maci Lerseth (Sioux Falls)
- Led Sioux Falls with 36 digs across six sets
- Averaged 6.00 digs per set
- Recorded a match-high 22 digs against MSU Moorhead
- Added 14 digs against Minnesota Crookston
- Helped anchor a defense that held Minnesota Crookston to a .102 hitting percentage
- Added 6 assists and 1 service ace during the weekend
Mattie Kamery (Wayne State)
- Averaged 1.43 blocks per set in home wins over Bemidji State and No. 17 Minnesota Duluth
- Matched a career high with 5 blocks and added 9 kills against Minnesota Duluth
- Recorded another 5 blocks in a sweep of Bemidji State
Lily Shields (Winona State)
- Recorded 36 digs, 10 assists, and 1 service ace on the weekend
- Posted a season-high 20 digs and 6 assists in a five-set win over UMary
- Added 16 digs, 4 assists, and 1 ace in a sweep of Minot State

SETTER
Kiylah Franke (Augustana)
- Dished out 70 assists during a 2-0 weekend at home
- Led Augustana to a sweep of No. 17 Minnesota Duluth with 26 assists
- Recorded 44 assists in a four-set win over Bemidji State
- Added 11 digs, 3 blocks, and 3 kills on the weekend
- Averaged 10.00 assists and 1.57 digs per set
Jadyn Lester (Minnesota State)
- Led the team with 79 assists
- Averaged 11.29 assists per set
- Recorded 3 service aces
- Ranked second on the team with 25 digs
Hollie Peterson (Sioux Falls)
- Distributed 69 assists across two victories
- Averaged 11.50 assists per set
- Recorded 35 assists against MSU Moorhead
- Added 34 assists against Minnesota Crookston
- Helped Sioux Falls hit .357 as a team over the weekend
- Contributed 11 digs, 2 service aces, and 3 block assists
Tatem Schmidt (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Led the Mustangs with 48 assists in sweeps of Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead
- Recorded 22 assists and 5 digs against Minnesota Crookston
- Added 26 assists and 3 digs against MSU Moorhead
- Helped direct an SMSU offense that hit .416 over the two matches
Molly Romano (Wayne State)
- Averaged 10.14 assists per set in two home victories
- Recorded 43 assists in a win over No. 17 Minnesota Duluth
- Added 28 assists in a sweep of Bemidji State
Hailee Peters (Winona State)
- Finished the weekend with 38 assists, 16 digs, 8 kills, and 2 service aces in two victories
- Recorded 17 assists, 3 kills, and 1 ace at Minot State
- Added 21 assists, 14 digs, 8 kills, and 1 ace at UMary
- Posted a double-double against the Marauders with assists and digs

 
NSIC Volleyball Players of the Week
8/31/26
O: #18 Linnea Nesheim - Northern State
D: #1 Sophie Ketterling - Jamestown
S: #9 Ava Nilsson- Northern State
9/8/26
O: #3 Makenna Nold - Concordia-St. Paul
D: #1 Sophie Ketterling - Jamestown (2)
S: #17 Molly Romano - Wayne State
9/14/26
O: #18 Linnea Nesheim - Northern State (2)
D: #1 Maya Vibeto - Minot State
S: #9 Ava Nilsson- Northern State (2)
9/21/26
O: #15 Channatee Robles - Wayne State
D: #18 Elyse Karrels - Minnesota Duluth
S: #9 Ava Jones - Minnesota Duluth
9/28/26
O: #17 Madeline Guetzkow - Minnesota Duluth 
D: #19 Ella Walker - Sioux Falls 
S: #9 Ava Jones - Minnesota Duluth (2)
10/5/26
O: #13 Ava Athman - Bemidji State
D: #4 Chloe Hanel - Wayne State
S: #14 Braya LaPlant - St. Cloud State
10/12/26
O: #3 Makenna Nold - Concordia-St. Paul (2)
D: #14 Ashlynn Schroeder - SMSU
S: #14 Braya LaPlant - St. Cloud State (2)
10/19/26
O: #2 Katelyn Schroeder - Northern State
D: #14 Ashlynn Schroeder - SMSU
S: #9 Ava Nilsson- Northern State (3)

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 128 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.