For Immediate Release
Monday, August 31, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#18 Linnea Nesheim (OH, 5-10, Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D. / Lincoln HS) - Northern State 
- Named MVP of the Oredigger Classic
- Led the NSIC with 3.73 kills per set with 56 total 
- Was second in the NSIC with 4.23 points per set
- Hit .336 with kill totals of 13, 14, 15 and 14
- Added 28 digs, five aces and two assists

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#1 Sophie Ketterling (DS, 5-4, Sr., Napoleon, N.D. / Napoleon HS) - Jamestown
- Led the NSIC with 5.86 digs per set in a 4-0 opening weekend
- Posted a career high 29 digs in a sweep of Chadron State
- Added 11 assists, three aces, and a .968 reception percentage on 63 attempts

NSIC Setter of the Week
#9 Ava Nilsson (S, 6-0, Jr., Mansfield, S.D. / Warner HS) - Northern State
- Started all four matches and played in all 15 sets at the Oredigger Classic
- Averaged an NSIC best 11.80 assist per set, while NSU hit .341 as a team
- Recorded 177 assists, 19 points, nine service aces and seven kills
- Recorded 44 assists against Flagler
- Added 47 assists against UCCS
- Posted 35 assists against Cal State Dominguez Hills
- Recorded 51 assists against Colorado Christian
- Only setter named to the 2026 Oredigger Classic All-Tournament Team

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Maya Wente (Augustana)
- Recorded 14 kills in a 3-0 home win against UT Dallas on August 28
- Added 11 kills in a 3-2 away victory over Henderson State on August 28
- Achieved 9 kills in a 3-0 away win against Arkansas–Fort Smith on August 29
- Tallied seven kills with a perfect 10 hitting percentage and one ace for eight points in a 3-0 home win against Cameron on August 29
- Totaled 41 kills, 47 points, and had a perfect hitting percentage across four matches
Ella Kratochvil (Bemidji State)
- Led the team with 57 kills in a 4–0 weekend at the Marauders First Serve Invite
- Hit .349 with just 13 errors on 126 attempts
- Added an assist and three service aces
- Recorded 30 receptions and eight digs
- Tallied four assisted blocks
- Earned a team leading 6.20 points
- Ranks fifth in the NSIC for kills and seventh in points
Makenna Nold (Concordia–St Paul)
- Led the NSIC with 4.83 points per set in a 2–1 week
- Averaged .350 kills per set
- Had 14 kills, five aces, and seven blocks in a win over #23 Gannon
- Logged an 11 kill, 22 dig double double against #24 UMSL
- Tallied 17 kills on .406 hitting in a sweep of Cedarville
Kenzie Kiminski (Minnesota Duluth)
- Named to the UP North Tournament All Tournament Team
- Led UMD with 3.97 points and 3.53 kills per set
- Added 2.07 digs and .073 blocks per set
- Recorded a double double with 22 kills and 12 digs vs Michigan Tech
- Followed with 16 kills, eight digs, and six blocks vs Northern Michigan
- Closed with 12 kills and eight digs on .455 hitting vs Tiffin
Haley Wolfe (Sioux Falls)
- Helped lead USF to a 3–1 weekend at the Otter Invite
- Led the NSIC in total blocks with 18 (1.13 per set)
- One of two conference leaders in attack percentage (.536)
- Recorded 39 kills across 16 sets
- Key contributor on both offense and defense
Mya Krystosek (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Tied for team lead with 25 kills in a 3–0 weekend
- Recorded 12 kills and 15 digs vs Spring Hill
- Led the team in digs with 32
- Added two aces
Shelby Kimm (St. Cloud State)
- Ranked second in NSIC in kills/set, fifth in digs/set, sixth in points/set
- Hit .304 with two double doubles in three matches
- Posted 20 kills and 25 digs in a win vs. Michigan Tech
- Recorded 11 kills and 16 digs in a sweep of Cal State East Bay
- Named to the UP North All Tournament Team
- Helped SCSU start 4–0
Delaney Miller (Wayne State)
- Averaged a team high 3.46 kills per set in a 4–0 weekend
- Recorded 22 kills on .413 hitting in a win over No. 2 Tampa
- Added nine kills on .643 hitting vs Queens (NY)
- Hit .440 across four matches

DEFENSE
Isabella Vander Velden (Bemidji State)
- Led BSU with 13 total blocks (12 assisted) during a 4–0 weekend at the Marauders First Serve Invite
- Ranks 10th in the NSIC in blocks
- Ranks 14th in the NSIC in service aces with eight
- Totaled 29 points for the Beavers
- Added 14 kills and two assists
Ava Wild (MSU Moorhead)
- Turned away 12 attacks (0.75 blocks per set) across four matches at the Kathleen Bras-field Invitational
- Registered four solo blocks and eight block assists
- Recorded three solo blocks in a win over CSU Pueblo
- Added 32 kills (2.00 per set) for the weekend
- Named to the All-Tournament Team
Ashley Yost (Northern State)
- Played all 15 sets at the Oredigger Classic
- Totaled 61 digs (4.07 per set)
- Recorded a .933 reception percentage across four matches
Lindsay Kruse (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Recorded 12 total blocks during SMSU’s 3–0 weekend in Pensacola
- Leads the NSIC with 1.33 blocks per set
- Posted five total blocks across two matches, including two solo blocks vs Spring Hill
- Added 24 kills while hitting .413
Laurin Hamann (St. Cloud State)
- Ranked second in the NSIC in digs per set (5.00)
- Posted a .982 reception percentage with just one error in 56 attempts
- Recorded 25 digs in SCSU’s 3–2 win over Michigan Tech, tied for third most in a match among NSIC players
- Ranked No 2 in digs among players at the UP North Tournament
- Named to the UP North All Tournament Team
- Helped SCSU open the season 4–0
Chloe Hanel (Wayne State)
- Averaged 2.64 kills and 0.79 blocks per set in a 4–0 weekend in New York
- Recorded 13 kills on .632 hitting in a sweep of Bloomsburg
- Posted 10 kills and four blocks (three solo) in a win over #2 Tampa
- Added five blocks (two solo) and eight kills in a sweep at Adelphi

SETTER
Madison Tripp (Bemidji State)
- Recorded 156 assists in four matches (9.75 aps)
- Added nine kills and five service aces
- Contributed 22 digs and two assisted blocks
- Helped Bemidji State go 4-0 on the weekend
Ava Jones (Minnesota Duluth)
- Named to the UP North Tournament All-Tournament Team
- Averaged 11.47 assists per set over four matches
- Helped Minnesota Duluth hit .269 as a team
- Recorded 10 kills, 10 service aces and six total blocks
- Posted 50 assists against Michigan Tech
- Added 39 assists against Cal State East Bay
- Recorded 41 assists against Northern Michigan and 42 against Tiffin
Braya LaPlant (St. Cloud State)
- Ranked second among NSIC setters with 11.50 assists per set
- Recorded 39 assists in SCSU’s season-opening sweep of Cal State East Bay
- Posted 43 assists and 14 digs against Michigan Tech for a double-double
- Averaged 2.33 digs and 0.67 points per set
- Helped guide SCSU to a 4-0 start
 
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

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.