For Immediate Release
Monday, September 28, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#17 Madeline Guetzkow (RS, 6-0, Sr., Mayer, Minn. / Mayer Lutheran HS) - Minnesota Duluth
- Led the NSIC with a .660 hitting percentage and 5.75 points per set in sweeps of UMC & BSU
- Hit above .650 and recorded at least 16 kills in both matches
- Posted a match-high 16 kills while hitting .652 against Bemidji State
- Led all players with 17 kills while hitting .667 against Minnesota Crookston
- Both hitting percentages rank among the NCAA’s top single-match performances this season
- Added 8 digs and 3 total blocks over the weekend

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#19 Ella Walker (MB, 6-2, Jr., Duluth, Minn. / Proctor HS) - Sioux Falls
- Totaled 15.0 blocks across two matches against top 11 ranked teams
- Recorded 10 blocks against No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State
- Only NSIC player to reach 10 blocks in a match this season
- Added 5 blocks against No. 2 Wayne State
- Accounted for 15 of Sioux Falls’ 23 team blocks on the week
- Added 18 kills and contributed on both sides of the net

NSIC Setter of the Week
#9 Ava Jones (S, 5-9, Jr., Detroit Lakes, Minn. / Detroit Lakes HS) - Minnesota Duluth
- Helped the Bulldogs earn sweeps over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston
- Averaged 11.67 assists per set while leading UMD to an NSIC-best .344 hitting percentage
- Ranked second in the league in assists and aces per set
- Averaged 3.17 digs per set
- Recorded 34 assists and 8 digs against Bemidji State
- Posted a double-double with 36 assists and 11 digs against Minnesota Crookston
- Added 3 service aces against the Golden Eagles
- Named NSIC Setter of the Week for the second week in a row

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Reagan Jansen (Augustana)
- Tallied 26 kills and 25 digs in a two-match weekend
- Started hot with 18 kills in a four-set match against Wayne State
- Hit .472 while adding 19 digs and 1 service ace against Wayne State
- Added 8 kills and 3 assists against Southwest Minnesota State
- Averaged 3.71 kills, 3.57 digs, and 4.00 points per set over the weekend
Nevaeh Carlson (Bemidji State)
- Totaled 40 points in a 1-1 weekend against Minnesota Duluth and MSU Moorhead
- Recorded 37 kills with a .248 hitting percentage
- Added 10 receptions and 7 digs
- Tied the program’s fourth-highest single-match kill total against MSU Moorhead
- Tied the program’s third-highest single-match point total against MSU Moorhead
Makenna Nold (Concordia-St. Paul)
- Averaged 4.50 points per set in a 2-0 week
- Led the Golden Bears with 3.50 kills per set
- Recorded 8 kills, 3 aces, 4 blocks, and 11 digs in a sweep of Winona State
- Tallied 20 kills, 8 digs, and 4 blocks in a win over St. Cloud State
Avery Rosenberg (Minnesota State)
- Led the team with a .333 hitting percentage on 39 attempts
- Recorded a team-high 11 kills in a win over Winona State
- Tied for the team lead with 18.5 points
- Ranked second on the team with 2.50 kills per set
Raiah Mandell (MSU Moorhead)
- Recorded 30 kills in two matches
- Tallied 12 kills while hitting .304 against Minnesota Crookston
- Matched her career high with 18 kills against Bemidji State
- Finished the weekend with a .281 hitting percentage
Katelyn Onespot-Danforth (Minot State)
- Recorded double-digit kills in both matches during the weekend
- Added 3 blocks in each match
- Led the Beavers with 10 kills and 3 blocks against UMary
- Led the team again with 11 kills and 3 blocks against Jamestown
Linnea Nesheim (Northern State)
- Led the offense to a 2-0 week, including a reverse-sweep comeback against Jamestown and a sweep of UMary
- Set season highs in aces and career highs in points, digs, and total blocks against Jame-stown
- Recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 19 digs versus the Jimmies
- Tallied 13 kills, 7 digs, and hit .400 against UMary
- Recorded the kill that completed the comeback against Jamestown
- Added back-to-back kills to close the opening set against UMary
Leah Jones (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Recorded 24 kills in a 2-0 weekend against Sioux Falls and Augustana
- Tallied 12 kills on 29 attacks in both matches
- Added 2 total blocks in each match
- Recorded 4 digs against Sioux Falls
Delaney Miller (Wayne State )
- Averaged 4.00 kills per set in wins over Augustana and Sioux Falls
- Recorded 18 kills and 2 blocks in a 3-1 win at Augustana
- Added 10 kills and 3 blocks in a 3-0 sweep of Sioux Falls

DEFENSE
Mehlayna Straub (Concordia-St. Paul)
- Led CSP with 1.50 blocks per set in a 2-0 week
- Finished with 5 total blocks, including a solo block, in a sweep of Winona State
- Tallied 7 total blocks in a win over St. Cloud State
- Added 11 kills against Winona State and 9 kills against St. Cloud State
Olivia Sturgis (Minnesota State)
- Led the team with 9 total blocks (1.50 bps)
- Led the team in blocks per set
- Ranked third on the team in total points
Maya Vibeto (Minot State)
- Recorded 45 digs in two matches, including a season-high 26 digs against Jamestown
- Ranks second in the NSIC in digs per set this season
- Added 4 assists on the weekend
Victoria Persha (Northern State)
- Helped lead Northern State to a 2-0 week, including a reverse-sweep win over Jamestown
- Recorded a season-high 8 total blocks against Jamestown
- Added 5 blocks against UMary
- Contributed 14 kills and 20.5 points on the week
- Helped hold Jamestown to a .172 hitting percentage and force 26 attacking errors
- Helped limit UMary to a .068 team hitting percentage
Natalie Pilney (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Recorded 12 block assists and 1 solo block in an undefeated weekend
- Tallied 15 kills and 8 block assists in a five-set win over Sioux Falls
- Added 4 block assists and 1 solo block against Augustana
- Hit .240 for the weekend
Laurin Hamann (St. Cloud State)
- Ranked third in the NSIC in digs per set and led the conference in aces per set for the week
- Recorded match highs of 26 digs and 3 aces against Concordia-St. Paul
- Set a season high with 26 digs
- Posted match highs of 18 digs and 3 aces against Minnesota State
- Recorded three aces in four matches this season, including each of the last three match-es
Chloe Hanel (Wayne State)
- Averaged 1.86 blocks and 3.43 kills per set in wins over Augustana and Sioux Falls
- Hit .524 for the week
- Recorded 11 kills, 9 digs, and 5 blocks in a win over Augustana
- Posted 13 kills while hitting .650 and recorded a season-high 8 blocks in a sweep of Sioux Falls

SETTER
Kiylah Franke (Augustana)
- Dished out 61 assists in a two-match week, including 33 against Wayne State and 28 against Southwest Minnesota State
- Averaged 8.71 assists per set
- Collected 15 digs over the weekend
- Added 1 kill and 1 solo block against Southwest Minnesota State
- Ranks among the NSIC leaders in total assists and assists per set this season
Madison Tripp (Bemidji State)
- Recorded 90 assists in a 1-1 weekend against Minnesota Duluth and MSU Moorhead
- Averaged 11.25 assists per set
- Added 3 kills and 2 service aces
- Contributed 15 digs and 2 service receptions
- Finished the weekend with 5 points
Ava Nilsson (Northern State)
- Guided Northern State to a 2-0 week, including a reverse-sweep win over Jamestown 
- Recorded 91 of the team’s 101 assists on the week
- Led the conference with 12.0 assists per set
- Posted season highs in points, kills, and total blocks against UMary
- Recorded a set-winning ace to force a fifth set against Jamestown
- Added 17 digs, 5 block assists, and 2 service aces during the week
Tatem Schmidt (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Totaled 50 assists in wins over Sioux Falls and Augustana
- Averaged 6.25 assists per set
- Recorded 30 assists and 6 digs against Sioux Falls
- Added 20 assists and 6 digs against Augustana
- Served a season-high 5 aces against Augustana
 
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)

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.