For Immediate Release
Monday, October 26, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NPI Ranking

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#3 Makenna Nold (OH/RS, 5-10, Jr., Jamestown, N.D. / Jamestown HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Led all of Division II with 6.73 kills per set during the week
- Tied the CSP and NSIC single-match record with 34 kills in a four-set win over Jamestown
- Set the highest single-match kill total in Division II this season
- Helped Concordia-St. Paul post a 2-1 record, including a 2-0 NSIC mark
- Hit .383 for the week
- Recorded 22 kills on .425 hitting in a sweep of Northern State
- Added 18 kills in a non-conference tilt with St. Cloud State
- Tallied five aces and five blocks while averaging an NSIC-best 7.41 points per set
- Averaged 2.82 digs per set
- Named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season (9/8/26 & 10/12/26)

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#1 Sophie Ketterling (DS, 5-4, Sr., Napoleon, N.D. / Napoleon HS) - Jamestown
- Led the NSIC with 7.00 digs per set
- Recorded 30 digs in a win against Winona State 
- Added 26 digs in a loss against Concordia-St. Paul 
- Totaled 56 digs and a .951 serve receive percentage on 61 attempts
- Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season (8/31/26 & 9/8/26)

NSIC Setter of the Week
#9 Ava Jones (S, 5-9, Jr., Detroit Lakes, Minn. / Detroit Lakes HS) - Minnesota Duluth
- Helped UMD go 2-0 with a sweep of No. 10 SMSU and a reverse sweep of Sioux Falls
- Led the NSIC and ranked ninth nationally with 12.00 assists per set
- Helped UMD average 15.50 kills per set, the second-best mark in the conference
- Averaged a team-best 3.50 digs and 0.63 blocks per set
- Recorded a double-double with 40 assists and 14 digs against SMSU
- Added a career-high five kills and two block assists
- Posted her second double-double with a season-high 56 assists and 14 digs against USF
- Added three block assists and a service ace
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the third time this season (9/21/26 & 9/28/26)

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Maya Wente (Augustana)
- Totaled 26 kills and 28 points during a 2-0 weekend for the Vikings
- Recorded 10 kills while hitting .643 in a sweep of Minnesota Crookston
- Added 16 kills and hit .593 in a five-set win over MSU Moorhead
- Registered all four of her blocks against MSU Moorhead
- Averaged 3.25 kills and 3.50 points per set
- Helped Augustana extend its winning streak to six matches
Kenzie Kiminski (Minnesota Duluth)
- Helped the Bulldogs go 2-0 with wins over No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls
- Led the team with 3.88 kills and 4.13 points per set
- Averaged 2.38 digs per set
- Helped pace a Bulldogs offense that ranked second in the NSIC in kills per set for the week
- Posted a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs against SMSU
- Hit .425 with a match-high 20 kills and added eight digs against Sioux Falls
Olivia Sturgis (Minnesota State)
- Led Minnesota State with 19 kills during a 2-0 weekend
- Committed just one error in 32 attack attempts
- Hit .563 for the week
- Led the team with 24.0 total points
Victoria Persha (Northern State)
- Recorded nine kills on a .474 hitting percentage against No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul
- Added three block assists and 10.5 points versus the Golden Bears
- Totaled 12 kills while hitting .417 in a win over Winona State
- Added three service aces, four blocks, and two digs against the Warriors
- Contributed to a key nine-point run in the opening set against Winona State
Leah Jones (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Led SMSU with 19 kills across two matches
- Recorded 10 kills while hitting .318 against Minnesota Duluth
- Added nine kills in a sweep of Bemidji State
- Contributed four digs and three solo blocks against the Beavers
- Hit .292 for the weekend
Delaney Miller (Wayne State)
- Averaged 4.10 kills per set while hitting .429 in three Wayne State victories
- Recorded 19 kills in a 3-1 win at MSU Moorhead
- Added 13 kills while hitting .545 in a 3-0 sweep of Minnesota Crookston

DEFENSE
Paige Decker (Minnesota Duluth)
- Helped the Bulldogs post a 2-0 weekend with a sweep of No. 10 SMSU and a reverse sweep of Sioux Falls
- Averaged 1.50 blocks per set, ranking second in the NSIC
- Also averaged 3.13 kills and 3.94 points per set
- Helped UMD hold the NCAA leader in kills, SMSU, to just 38 kills and a .145 hitting per-centage
- Recorded 6.0 total blocks and hit .522 with a team-high 14 kills against the Mustangs
- Added 6.0 total blocks and 11 kills against Sioux Falls
Olivia Sturgis (Minnesota State)
- Tied her career high with six blocks in a win over UMary
- Recorded eight blocks during a 2-0 weekend
- Posted two solo blocks
- Averaged 1.33 blocks per set
Katelyn Schroeder (Northern State)
- Recorded double-doubles in both matches over the weekend
- Posted 10 kills and 12 digs against No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul
- Added 18 kills and 15 digs against Winona State
- Finished with 30 total points, two block assists, and one service ace across the two matches
- Helped spark a nine-point first-set run and a 10-3 fourth-set run in the win over Winona State
Natalie Pilney (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Led SMSU with 10 total blocks across two matches
- Recorded three solo blocks and two block assists against Minnesota Duluth
- Added five block assists in a sweep of Bemidji State
- Finished with 10 kills against the Beavers while hitting .526 without an attack error
- Led the NSIC with 1.67 blocks per set

SETTER
Kiylah Franke (Augustana)
- Helped guide the Vikings’ offense with 94 assists during a 2-0 weekend
- Opened the weekend with 39 assists and three digs against Minnesota Crookston
- Recorded a double-double with 55 assists and 14 digs against MSU Moorhead
- Totaled 17 digs, three kills, two aces, and one block over the weekend
- Averaged 11.75 assists and 2.13 digs per set
- Helped Augustana extend its winning streak to six matches
Jadyn Lester (Minnesota State)
- Recorded 65 assists during a 2-0 weekend while averaging 10.83 assists per set
- Surpassed 2,000 career assists
- Finished with seven kills and no errors on 12 attack attempts
- Added three service aces while averaging 0.50 aces per set
- Recorded 38 assists in a win over Minot State
Ava Nilsson (Northern State)
- Totaled 83 assists on the weekend, including 51 against Winona State
- Averaged 11.86 assists per set, leading the NSIC for the second consecutive week
- Recorded 12 digs, five kills, two aces, and two blocks while hitting .450
- Assisted on six kills and added a kill during Northern State’s 9-0 first-set run against Winona State
- Registered assists on five of the Wolves’ final 10 kills to close out the win over the Warriors
Hollie Peterson (Sioux Falls)
- Recorded 83 assists across nine sets, averaging 9.22 assists per set
- Served 11 aces against No. 20 Minnesota Duluth, accounting for nearly 65 percent of Sioux Falls’ team aces
- Finished the weekend with 12 service aces, averaging 1.33 aces per set
- Posted 42 assists and 11 digs against Minnesota Duluth and 41 assists with three digs against Bemidji State
- Contributed six kills and four block assists while directing the Cougar offense
- Highlighted her performance against Minnesota Duluth with five consecutive aces in the opening set and two straight aces to secure a 26-24 second-set victory
Sydney Thein (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Led SMSU with 33 assists over the weekend while averaging 5.5 assists per set
- Recorded 14 assists and 10 digs against Minnesota Duluth
- Added 19 assists and two digs in a sweep of Bemidji State
Molly Romano (Wayne State)
- Averaged 11.70 assists per set in three Wayne State victories
- Matched her season high with 51 assists in a 3-1 win at MSU Moorhead
- Distributed 37 assists in a 3-0 sweep of Minnesota Crookston
- Helped Wayne State post a .377 team hitting percentage for the week

 
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)
10/26/26
O: #3 Makenna Nold - Concordia-St. Paul (3)
D: #1 Sophie Ketterling - Jamestown (3)
S: #9 Ava Jones - Minnesota Duluth (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.