For Immediate Release
Monday, September 23, 2013
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#20  Abbey Thissen
RS, 6-0, So.,
Clara City, Minn.
MACCRAY  HS
Southwest Minnesota State


NSIC Setter of the Week
#8  Ashley Hinsch
S, 5-10, So.,
Zumbrota, Minn.
Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS
Minnesota Duluth


NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#3 Whitney Burmeister
OH, 5-9, So.,  
Lakefield, Minn.
Jackson County Central HS
Southwest Minnesota State


2013 NSIC VOLLEYBALL TEAM NOTES
Augustana College Vikings (8-2, 0-2 NSIC)
www.goaugie.com
Head Coach: Ashley Buckley • Penn State ‘05 • 6th Season • W-L: 92-71, 51-45 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Ashley Petak                    2012 Record: 17-13, 11-9 NSIC (8th)
Augustana dropped its first two matches of the year this weekend, falling to No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State in four sets on Thursday and squandering a 2-0 lead to lose at Sioux Falls on Saturday evening.  Against the Mustangs, the Vikings were held to a season-low .158 (42-16-165) attack percentage, including a .000 (4-4-35) in the first set. The Vikings eventually drew within one set of SMSU by taking the third stanza, but the Mustangs’ defense was too much for Augustana.  In Saturday’s matchup with cross-town rival USF, the Vikings’ early deficits became their undoing when the Cougars staged a comeback.  Four Vikings set career-highs in the five-set match, but Holly Hafemeyer and Courtney Ysker’s combined 49 kills couldn’t carry them to victory.  The Vikings look to right the ship in a mid-week trip to face Wayne State on Tuesday, Sept. 24 before they host Minot State and the University of Mary over the weekend.
Courtney Ysker (OH, 5-9, Jr., Windom, Minn./Windom-Area HS) led the Vikings with a 4.22 kills/set average as the Vikings dropped their first two matches of the year. The junior outside hitter recorded her fourth and fifth consecutive double-doubles by leading the team in digs as well.  In Thursday’s match against No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State, Ysker tallied a team-high 14 kills and added five block assists to help the Vikings to 10 total as a team.  Ysker also scooped up 17 digs in Augustana’s first loss of the season.  Aided by five sets of competition, Ysker set a new career-high mark in kills with 24 against Sioux Falls.  The Windom, Minn. native smashed 24 kills at a .420 (24-3-50) clip in the loss.  Ysker also posted a team-high with 19 digs for her fifth-straight double-double and ninth of her career.
Marissa Johnson (S, 5-8, So., Omaha, Neb./Burke HS) broke her career-high for assists in a match for the second time this season when the sophomore dished out 69 assists in Augustana’s five-set loss to USF.  For the weekend, Johnson finished with 108 assists in two matches.  In Thursday’s match against SMSU, Johnson tallied 39 assists in four sets to finish the week with a 12.00 assist/set average.  Johnson also scooped up 11 digs in her two weekend matches while adding three block assists.  
Courtney Ysker (OH, 5-9, Jr., Windom, Minn./Windom-Area HS) led the Vikings with 37 digs and a 4.11 dig/set average in two matches over the weekend. The junior outside hitter paired her 37 digs with 38 kills for two consecutive double-doubles.  Ysker also tallied five block assists against No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State which was a match-high.  The Vikings totaled 19 total blocks on the weekend.
9/19/2013 Southwest Minnesota State L 1-3     9/21/2013 University of Sioux Falls L 2-3
9/24/2013 Wayne State  7 p.m.     9/27/2013 University of Mary     7 p.m.
9/28/2013 Minot State 4 p.m.
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Bemidji State University Beavers (4-6, 0-2 NSIC)
www.bsubeavers.com
Head Coach: Wayne Chadwick • Wisconsin-Whitewater ‘88 • 4th Season • W-L: 26-67, 13-51 NSIC
Assistant Coaches: Jerry Hulla &  Hannah Wilson     2012 Record: 4-23, 2-18 NSIC(t-15th)
Rachel Craig (MB, 6-2, Jr., Wadena, Minn.) was Bemidji State University’s  top defensive player over this past week as they opened conference play against St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota Duluth. Craig totaled eight blocks in the two matches. In the match against UMD, she had six total blocks, four of which were solo. Craig’s four solo blocks was the second-highest single-match total in volleyball program history.   
9/19/2013    St. Cloud State  L 1-3     9/21/2013    Minnesota Duluth     L 0-3
9/24/2013    Minnesota Crookston 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Winona State 7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Upper Iowa 4 p.m.
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Concordia University-St. Paul Golden Bears (10-1, 2-0 NSIC)
http://www.cugoldenbears.com/
Head Coach: Brady Starkey  • Metropolitan State ‘02 • 10th Season • W-L: 349-31, 176-6 NSIC
Assistant Coach: George Padjen, Hailey Cowles & Ellie Duffy 2012 Record: 33-4, 18-2 NSIC (t-1st)
Kayla Koenecke (RS, 5’9”, Sr., Delano, Minn. / HS), the current NSIC leader in hitting percentage, had another tremendous weekend with 28 kills for an average of 4.67 per game while hitting .500.  She also provided a spark on the defensive end with 21 digs and five blocks in the pair of matches.  Koenecke was efficient in the Golden Bears match against Upper Iowa on Thursday, finishing with 13 kills and a .565 hitting percentage and also added eight digs, four blocks and two assists.  Against Winona State on Saturday she picked up a double-double with 15 kills and 13 digs.
Amanda Konetchy (S, 5’7”, Sr., Victoria, Minn. / Chaska HS) led a Golden Bear attack that hit .364 and contributed 76 assists for an average of 12.67 per game in the two matches.  Konetchy showed her trademark consistency by putting up 41 assists against Upper Iowa and 35 against Winona State, both three game sweeps.  She also picked up 13 digs on the weekend.
#2 Concordia (10-1, 2-0 NSIC) has now won 16 consecutive NSIC regular season matches, dating back to a 3-1 loss in Duluth to the Bulldogs on September 28, 2012.  Concordia also extended long winning streaks against both their opponents this weekend.  Concordia is 13-0 all-time against Upper Iowa and 24-7 against WSU, having won 22 straight against the Warriors.  Concordia has three home matches this week, including a match between the likely top two ranked teams in the country on Friday night between the Golden Bears and UMD Bulldogs.
9/19/2013    Upper Iowa W 3-0     9/21/2013    Winona State W 3-0
9/24/2013    Minnesota State 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Minnesota Duluth 7 p.m.
9/28/2013    St. Cloud State 4 p.m.
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University of Mary (N.D.) Marauders (3-6, 0-2 NSIC)
www.goumary.com
Head Coach: Steve Novacek  • Minnesota Duluth ‘05 • 4th Season • W-L: 8-58, 4-38 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Christa Jung & Maureen Moriarty  2012 Record: 3-24, 3-17 NSIC (14th)
Coming off a strong performance winning two of three matches at the Mount Olive Tournament, the University of Mary opened conference play at home on Sept. 19 against Northern State. The Marauders momentum was stifled as they fell to the Wolves in three sets. Morgan Dake was (Jr., OH, 5-4, Bakersfield, Calif. / Frontier HS) U-Mary’s top hitter in the match finishing with six kills and hitting .267. On Sept. 21 the Marauders hit the road to face the MSU Moorhead Dragons. U-Mary dropped the first two sets of the match, but rallied to win the third. MSUM was too strong down the stretch, however, as they defeated U-Mary 3-1. Alexis Jacobs (RFr., OH, 5-11, Bismarck, N.D. / Century HS) led U-Mary with seven kills and was second on the team with 10 digs. Alex Brown (Fr., DS, 5-4, Coon Rapids, Minn. / Blaine HS) did her best to anchor the defense finishing with 23 digs, her four-set season-high. The Marauders will look for their first conference win of the season as they head to Minot State to take on the Beavers on Tuesday.
9/19/2013    Northern State L 0-3     9/21/2013    MSU Moorhead L 1-3
9/24/2013    Minot State University 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Augustana 7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Wayne State 4 p.m.
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University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (5-5, 0-2 NSIC)
www.goldeneaglesports.com
Head Coach: Lee Anderson  • University of Ottawa ‘98 • 7th Season • W-L: 45-138, 24-93 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Heather Grieser 2012 Record: 11-16, 7-13 NSIC (11th)
Maggie Perrel (Fr., RS, New Germany, Minn.) averaged 24 kills last week versus No. 1 Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State. The Golden Eagle right side hitter tallied a season-high 20 kills, which tied the season-high by any UMC player so far, against St. Cloud State besting her previous high of 12 against Merrimack College. The freshman hit .415 on the night with just three errors. Versus Minnesota Duluth, Perrel had four kills.
9/19/2013    University of Minnesota Duluth L 0-3     9/21/2013    St. Cloud State  L 2-3
9/24/2013    Bemidji State University 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Upper Iowa University     7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Winona State University 4 p.m.
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University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (11-0, 2-0 NSIC)
www.umdbulldogs.com
Head Coach: Jim Boos  • UW–Oshkosh ‘94 • 12th Season • W-L: 305-57, 114-21 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Christyn May   2012 Record: 29-5, 18-2 NSIC (t-1st)
The No. 1 team in the nation finally opened their home season this week, earning a pair of NSIC victories while also beating non-conference foe Michigan Tech in the home opener. Senior outside hitter Kate Lange surpassed 1,600 kills for her career including an 18-kill performance vs. Bemidji State on Saturday. Sophomore middle blocker Monica Turner had 26 kills and 11 blocks (four solo) on the week. Junior libero Julie Rainey had 48 defensive digs, an average of 16 per match. Sophomore setter Ashley Hinsch had just one error and 113 set assists.
Senior outside hitter Kate Lange added 39 kills in three matches, an average of 4.33 per set. She now sits at 1,631 for her career, just ten away from cracking the top five totals for a career at UMD.
In addition to 26 kills on the week, sophomore middle blocker Monica Turner led the Bulldogs defensively with four solo blocks and seven block assists, accounting for nearly half of UMD’s total blocks for the week.
Sophomore Ashley Hinsch continues to thrive in the role of setter for the Bulldogs, collecting 113 set assists and just one error in three matches for UMD.
9/17/2013    Michigan Tech W 3-0     9/19/2013    Minnesota Crookston     W 3-0
9/21/2013    Bemidji State  W 3-0     9/24/2013    St. Cloud State     7 p.m.
9/27/2013    Concordia-St. Paul 7 p.m.     9/28/2013    Minnesota State 4 p.m.
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Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks (6-3, 2-0 NSIC)
www.msumavericks.com
Head Coach: Dennis Amundson  • St. Cloud State ‘69 • 9th Season • W-L: 158-97, 70-32 NSIC
Assistant Coaches: Lori Rittenhouse-Wollmuth, Bre Payton 2012 Record: 18-11, 12-8 NSIC (t-6th)
The Minnesota State began its conference schedule on the right foot, picking up two wins in the first weekend of the circuit improving its record to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC. The Mavericks defeated Winona State at home Thursday evening, 3-0 before taking to the road to do battle with Upper Iowa, who they defeated 3-2 in Fayette, Iowa.
Sophomore Chandra Honebrink (5-10, OH, Waconia, Minn.) paced the Maverick offense recording 27 kills (3.38 per set) on the weekend while hitting .328. Honebrink also recorded 11 digs, three blocks and one service ace. The 5-10 sophomore was able to record 12 kills against the Warriors, and notch 15 kills against the Peacocks, lifting the Mavericks to a 2-0 start in conference play, improving to 6-3 overall.
Jenna McNallan (5-8, OH, Jr., Andover, Minn.) led the MSU defense with 26 digs (3.25 per set). McNallan started conference action with 14 digs and nine kills against Winona State, then posted a double-double against Upper Iowa recording 16 kills and 12 digs.
Sophomore Ellie Van De Steeg (5-9, S, Hutchinson, Minn.) recorded 89 assists on the weekend, including a 49 assist performance against Upper Iowa. Van De Steeg also posted 13 digs, four kills, three blocks, and a service ace on the opening weekend of NSIC action.
9/19/2013    Winona State W 3-0     9/21/2013    Upper Iowa W 3-2
9/24/2013    Concordia-St. Paul 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    St. Cloud State 7:00 p.m.
9/28/2013    Minnesota Duluth 4:00 p.m.
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Minnesota  State University Moorhead Dragons (8-2, 1-1 NSIC)
www.msumdragons.com
Head Coach: Tammy Kath-Blake • South Dakota ‘89 • 19th Season • W-L: 324-242, 179-128 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Katy Peterson & Kelsey Hennessy • 2012 Record: 17-12, 9-11 NSIC (10th)
Kaitlin VanWinkle (5-11, So., MB, Farmington, Minn. / Lakeville South HS) had a solid week for the Dragons as they went 1-1 in NSIC matches. She finished with 24 kills in the two matches, averaging 2.7 kills per set from her middle blocker position, and hit a solid .302 for the week. VanWinkle had 11 kills in the Dragons’ win over Mary on Saturday. VanWinkle added eight block assists and one solo block. She leads the Dragon hitting corps with a .355 percentage this season.
Sam Sullivan (S, 5-11, Jr., Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury HS), part of the Dragons’ two-setter attack, paced MSUM with 46 assists during its 1-1 week. Sullivan averaged 5.2 assists per set and also added 26 digs in the two sets.
Morgan Gradishar (OH, 5-10, So., Aurora, Colo. / Grandview) was effective on defense at both the net and in the back row during the Dragons’ 1-1 week. She had 30 digs in the two matches, averaging 3.0 digs per set, and also had three block assists and one solo block. Gradishar is second on the team with 125 digs on the season.
9/19/2013    Minot State University L 2-3     9/21/2013    University of Mary W 3-1
9/24/2013    Northern State 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    University of Sioux Falls7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Southwest Minnesota State University 4 p.m.
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Minot State University Beavers (5-6, 1-1 NSIC)
www.msubeavers.com
Head Coach: Travis Ward • Western Oregon • 2nd Season • W-L: 11-30, 3-19 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Kody DuBarry  • 2012 Record: 6-24, 2-18 NSIC (t-15th)
Minot State volleyball picked up their first NSIC win as they took down MSU-Moorhead in five sets Thursday night in the Minot State Dome. A balanced offensive attack led to the Beavers’ success as Jen Dixon (Jr., OH, Brandon, Manitoba) led the team with 19 kills while Lauren Dunkle (Fr., OH, Aurora, Colo.) and Mallory Sall (So., OH, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) each notched 16 kills in the win. It took MISU just one match to gain their first NSIC win of 2013, while in 2012 it took the Beavers 12 matches to get their first conference win. On Saturday against an undefeated Northern State squad, the Beavers could not keep the momentum going as they were beat in straight sets against the Wolves in Aberdeen, S.D. Dixon was the only Beaver to hit double-digit kills, collecting 12 in the loss. As a team, Minot State hit just .038 while NSU hit .347. The Beavers will not host University of Mary Tuesday, Sept. 24 before they hit the road for one of the toughest road trips of the year as they face both Wayne State College and Augustana College, who both received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Coaches’ Poll last week.
9/19/2013    Minnesota State University Moorhead W 3-2     9/21/2013    Northern State University L 0-3
9/24/2013    University of Mary 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Wayne State College 7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Augustana College 4 p.m.
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Northern State University Wolves (9-0, 2-0 NSIC)
www.northernstatewolves.com
Head Coach: Brent Aldridge  • South Dakota ‘92 • 3rd Season • W-L: 41-25, 23-19 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Emily Foster, Sonja Markanovich, Chelsea Chavez  2012 Record: 19-11, 13-7 NSIC (5th)
Macey Finizio (Jr., OH, Stillwater, Minn., Stillwater HS) had a big week in the Wolves’ two sweeps over U-Mary and Minot State. Finizio hit a fantastic .462 on the week and had 21 total kills. In Northern’s win over Minot, Finizio recorded a season-best 15 kills and a career-high .609 attack percentage. Finizio also recorded six aces and seven digs for NSU. Against Mary, Finizio recorded a career-high five aces in the sweep. Northern is off to its best start in program history at 9-0.
Drew Smith (So., S, Ames, Iowa, Ames HS) recorded 69 total assists in the two matches (11.5 per set) for Northern. Smith had a whopping 40 assists in just three sets (13.3 per) in the Wolves’ win over Minot on Saturday. Smith also had 14 total digs on the week and a pair of block assists.
9/19/2013    U-Mary W 3-0     9/21/2013    Minot State W 3-0
9/24/2013    MSU Moorhead 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Southwest Minnesota State 7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Sioux Falls 4 p.m.
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University of Sioux Falls Cougars (8-2, 1-1 NSIC)
http://www.usfcougars.com/
Head Coach: Joel McCartney • Graceland College ‘87 • 3rd Season • W-L: 381-200, 6-16 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Andrea McCartney, Alyssa Chambers  2012 Record: 14-16, 5-15 NSIC (13th)
#17  Samantha Lovell (MB, 6-1, Jr., Bellevue, Neb. / Bellevue East HS) made a fine 2013 home debut, leading the Cougars (8-2, 1-1 NSIC) to their first victory against crosstown rival Augustana (8-2, 0-2) in more than 30 years. Lovell, who has battled a leg injury that limited her to just one set played in the Cougars’ first nine matches, floored 20 kills and posted five total blocks to pace the Cougars in both categories. The 20 kills is five more than the previous career-best for the Bellevue (Neb.) native, who also hit .450 in the match with just two errors on 40 attempts. In addition, Lovell recorded the first and last kills in a match that many considered to be the biggest win in USF volleyball history. Lovell is averaging 3.83 kills per set and owns a .477 attack clip in six sets played with two errors in 44 attempts. Prior to this year, Lovell had appeared in every USF match the previous two seasons and has 536 kills and 222 blocks in her collegiate career.  
The Cougars (8-2, 1-1) went 1-1 in their first week of NSIC play, falling in straight sets to No. 7 Wayne State and bouncing back to knock off Augustana College in five sets. Down two sets to none to their crosstown rival, the University of Sioux Falls volleyball team staged a huge comeback to defeat Augustana College in a five-set thriller (25-27, 25-27, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13) Saturday afternoon at the Stewart Center. Augustana (8-2, 0-2) had won the last 14 matchups with the Cougars posting just one set since the streak began in 1981. With the win, USF clinches the first point of the 2013-14 First Dakota National Bank Mayor’s Cup Challenge. The Mayor’s Cup is an annual rivalry trophy that will go to the school that wins the most head-to-head competitions amongst 16 common sports.T
9/19/2013    Wayne State L 0-3     9/21/2013    Augustana     W 3-2
9/24/2013    SMSU  7 p.m.            9/27/2013 MSU Moorhead  7 p.m.     9/28/2013    Northern State  4 p.m.
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Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs (7-3, 2-0 NSIC)
http://www.smsumustangs.com/
Head Coach: Terry Culhane • Southwest Minnesota State ‘78 • 10th Season • W-L: 242-66, 135-31 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Raftyn Rignell, Tyler Boddy, Paul Soupir, Mike Dalager
2012 Record: 30-2, 18-2 NSIC (t-1st)
Abbey Thissen (RS, 6-0, So., Clara City/ MACCRAY) led Southwest Minnesota State to two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victories over Augustana and No. 7 Wayne State (Neb.) this past week. The sophomore right side smashed 35 kills in 73 attempts for a .301 hitting percentage. Thissen averaged 4.38 kills per set during SMSU’s eight sets played. Thissen tallied 21 kills in the match on Saturday versus Wayne State, which matched both a season and career high. Earlier in the week Thissen recorded 14 kills in the 3-1 match win over Augustana.  
Emilee Gutzmer (S, 5-8, So., Jordan, Minn. / Jordan) paced the Southwest Minnesota State offense to two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victories this past week over Augustana and No. 7 Wayne State (Neb.). Gutzmer set up the SMSU offensive attack that pounded 120 kills on 333 attempts for a hitting percentage of .219. Gutzmer racked up 102 assists in eight sets for a 12.75 assist per set average. Gutzmer also tallied two kills and dug out 16 attacks.
Whitney Burmeister (OH, 5-9, So., Lakefield, Minn. / Jackson County Central ) stepped up on both sides of the net in Southwest Minnesota State’s two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victories this past week over Augustana and No. 7 Wayne State (Neb.) as the sophomore outside hitter tallied a double-double in each match. In SMSU’s two matches, Burmeister racked up a total of 48 digs (6.0 dig/s), including 25 on Saturday versus No. 7 Wayne State. Burmeister finished the match with 13 kills and 25 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. In the 3-1 match victory over Augustana on Thursday, Burmeister set a new career-high with 23 digs only to break that mark two days later with her 25 dig performance versus Wayne State. Burmeister now has tallied a double-double in seven of SMSU’s ten matches.
9/19/2013    Augustana W 3-1     9/21/2013    Wayne State W 3-1
9/24/2013    Sioux Falls 7 p.m.            9/27/2013 Northern State 7 p.m.     9/28/2013 MSU Moorhead 4 p.m.
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St. Cloud State University Huskies (8-2, 2-0 NSIC)
www.scsuhuskies.com
Head Coach: Michelle Blaeser • Minnesota State ‘89 • 4th Season • W-L: 38-56, 19-43 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Marci Peniata, Kari Turkowski 2012 Record: 10-18, 6-14 NSIC (12th)
The St. Cloud State University volleyball team opened up conference action against Bemidji State University on Thursday, Sept. 19. The Huskies defeated the Beavers in four sets, winning 25-12, 25-23, 22-25, and 25-19. St. Cloud State then traveled to Crookston, Minn. to take on the Golden Eagles on Saturday, Sept. 21. The Huskies defeated the University of Minnesota Crookston in a grueling five set battle. St. Cloud State finally pulled off the win with set scores of 26-24, 21-25, 23-25, 26-24, and 15-9. With these two conference wins they improve to 8-2 overall, 2-0 in the NSIC. This marks St. Cloud State volleyball’s best start to a season since 1998. With the win, the Huskies now hold a four game win-streak.
Ellie Dietzen led the Huskies to victory in these conference debuts. Dietzen recorded 12 and 16 kills respectively. Dietzen hit a combined .362 in the two matches and holds a .396 attack percentage this season. She has collected a team-high 116 kills this season, averaging 2.97 per set. The Huskies win over Crookston marked Dietzen’s fourth straight match tallying double-digit kill totals and her seventh this season.
The Huskies have received tremendous defensive efforts out of outside hitter Dani Domeier. Domeier recorded her third straight double-double against Minnesota, Crookston. She led the Huskies in kills against Bemidji State with 13 while maintaining a .370 attack percentage. She also recorded 14 digs against the Beavers. In Crookston, Domeier posted 10 kills and tallied 17 digs. Domeier comes in second on the team in total kills, total service aces, and total digs.
9/19/2013    Bemidji State University W 3-1     9/21/2013    Minnesota, Crookston W 3-2
9/24/2013    University of Minnesota Duluth 7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Minnesota State  7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Concordia University, St. Paul  4 p.m.
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Upper Iowa University Peacocks (4-7, 0-2 NSIC)
www.upperiowaathletics.com
Head Coach: Aaron Nelson  • St. Cloud State ‘99 • 3rd Year • W-L: 35-35, 18-24 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Kasey Uran 2012 Record: 16-13, 10-10 NSIC (9th)
Melanie Behnke (OH, 5-10, Sr., Seymour, Wis., Seymour HS) tallied 20 kills in her first appearance back on the court for Upper Iowa this season.  The 20 kills against Minnesota State came on just 29 attempts as the Seymour, Wis. native hit .621 for the match.  Behnke sat out of the first 10 matches this season due to an off-court injury.  
The Peacocks went 1-2 this week with a win against Waldorf at home before dropping their first two NSIC matches to #2 Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State.  The first two matches of the week only lasted three sets, but the battle with the Mavericks went to five sets after UIU took a 2-1 lead.  MSU rallied for the win with late runs in the fourth and fifth sets.  Freshman Alisha VanderWoude hit well in the middle for UIU this past week registering a .464 hitting percentage with 16 kills and added 5 blocks.  Junior Hailey Brown paced the Peacock attack with 65 assists, 15 kills and 3 service aces.  Upper Iowa will host three NSIC matches this week.
9/17/2013    Waldorf College (Iowa) W 3-0     9/19/2013    Concordia University, St. Paul L 0-3
9/21/2013    Minnesota State L 2-3     9/24/2013    Winona State University 7 p.m.
9/27/2013    University of Minnesota, Crookston 7 p.m.     9/28/2013    Bemidji State University 4 p.m.
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Wayne State College Wildcats (9-1, 1-1 NSIC)
www.wscwildcats.com
Head Coach: Scott Kneifl • Wayne State College ‘95 • 9th Season • W-L: 211-71, 114-38 NSIC
Assistant Coach: Kim DePew (Edwards) & Korie Lebeda  2012 Record: 22-10, 14-6 NSIC (4th)
Cori Hobbs, a 6-0 senior outside hitter from Battle Creek, Nebraska, led WSC during the week averaging 4.29 kills and 2.86 digs per set in helping WSC start 1-1 in conference play.  Hobbs had 14 kills and 14 digs, her sixth double double of the season, in Thursday’s 3-0 sweep over Sioux Falls and added a team-high 16 kills to go with five blocks in Saturday’s 3-1 setback at #10 Southwest Minnesota State.  For the week, Hobbs hit .305 with 30 kills and just five attack errors in 82 attempts.  
Sophomore setter Leisa McClintock (Sioux City Heelan HS - Iowa) averaged 11.86 assists and 2.43 digs per set for the Wildcats in two matches.  She had 42 assists in Thursday’s 3-0 win over Sioux Falls and had 41 assists with 10 digs and two solo blocks against Southwest Minnesota State Saturday.  
9/19/2013    Sioux Falls  W 3-0     9/21/2013    Southwest Minnesota State  L 1-3
9/24/2013    Augustana  7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Minot State  7 p.m.
9/28/2013    University of Mary  4 p.m.
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Winona State University Warriors (3-8, 0-2 NSIC)
www.winonastatewarriors.com
Head Coach: Dave Simon • Minneosta State ‘83 • 5th Season • W-L: 50-69, 36-44 NSIC
Assistant Coaches: Selene Teitelbaum, Lea Hartigan 2012 Record: 20-11, 12-8 NSIC (t-6th)
Bekah Saugen (Sr., OH, 5-10, Chaska, Minn.) led the Winona State offense with 13 kills in a pair of losses to open conference play. Saugen had eight kills against Minnesota State and added five more against Concordia-St. Paul. The senior added 12 digs against MSU and seven more against CU to finish the week with 19. She also had an ace and a block.
Elena Kruesel (Sr., S, 5-9, Grafton, Wis.) handed out a team-high 25 assists in a pair of Winona State losses this week. Kruesel averaged 4.17 assists per game, recording 13 against Concordia-St. Paul and 12 against Minnesota State. The senior also had 11 digs and an ace on the week.
Katie Froehle (Sr., OH, 5-10, Eden Prairie, Minn.) led the Warrior defense charge with 22 digs in a pair of losses to Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul. Froehle averaged 3.67 digs per game for the Warriors, highlighted by a 17 dig performance against the Golden Bears. The senior also tallied ten kills on the week while handing out an assist and totaling two aces.
9/19/2013    Minnesota State L 0-3     9/21/2013    Concordia-St. Paul     L 0-3
9/24/2013    Upper Iowa  7 p.m.     9/27/2013    Bemidji State 7 p.m.
9/28/2013    Minnesota Crookston  4 p.m.

 
Past NSIC Players of the Week
9/9/13
Off: Kate Lange - UMD
Set: Marissa Johnson - Augie
Def: Julie Rainey - UMD

9/16/13
Off: Kayla Koenecke - CU
Set: Amanda Konetchy - CU
Def: Holly Hafemeyer  - Augie

9/23/13
Off: Abbey Thissen - SMSU
Set: Ashley Hinsch - UMD
Def: Whitney Burmeister - SMSU