THE MATCHES AT A GLANCE

Date: Friday, September 11 vs. Minn. Crookston Location: Aberdeen, S.D. – Wachs Arena Start Time: 6 p.m. Head Coach: Kathleen Rustad

 

Date: Saturday, September 12 vs. MSU Moorhead Location: Aberdeen, S.D. – Wachs Arena Start Time: 3 p.m. Head Coach: Kari Thompson

FAN INFORMATION & GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats: https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary    
Live Video [$]: https://www.midcosportsplus.com/?school=northern-state-university
Radio Broadcast: Fox Sports Aberdeen [98.5 FM · 1420 AM] radio.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KGIMAM
Tickets: https://northern-state-university-xxzi.vivenushop.com/section/wolves-volleyball-c445
Fan Information: https://nsuwolves.com/sports/2018/8/3/gameday-promotions.aspx

• 9/11 vs. Minn. Crookston:
  • First Responders Day (all first responders get in for half price) (first 150 fans get mini American flag)
  • Culver's custard will be sold
  • Home/Conference opener
• 9/12 vs. MSU Moorhead:
  • Culver's custard will be sold

 
 
NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern State plays their first home and conference matches of the season this Friday and Saturday; they are currently 5-3 on the season and stand at 10^th in the NSIC standings
• The Wolves went 2-2 last weekend at the Fairfield Inn Griffon Classic, beating Oklahoma Christian and NW Missouri St. and losing to No. 11 Missouri Western and Rockhurst
• Ava Nilsson and Victoria Persha were named to the Fairfield Inn Griffon Classic All-Tournament Team
• NSU is averaging 13.7 kills, 13.2 assists, 13.4 digs, 1.6 blocks, and 1.8 aces per set this season; Northern has 65 more kills, 65 more assists, and 51 more digs than their opponents
• The offense is hitting .310, while the defense is holding their opponents to a .240 attack percentage
• Linnea Nesheim leads the offense with 115 kills, averaging 3.59 per set, followed by Katelyn Schroeder with 113 total kills and averaging 3.53 per set
• Nilsson racked up 188 of the team's 222 assists (84.7%) last weekend, putting up 57, 41, 39, and 51; she added 35 digs, 19 points, and 11 kills
• Leading the team at the net with 26 total blocks is Lydia Nelson; Ashley Yost leads the defense with 128 digs, averaging four per set

 
 
MINNESOTA CROOKSTON STORYLINES

• Minnesota Crookston stands at 2-6 so far this season and sits 13th in the conference; the NSIC preseason poll projected them to finish 15th
• The Golden Eagles are coming off of a victory last Saturday against Saint Michael's College where they won in straight sets
• Their matchup against the Wolves marks the beginning of their conference season
• Five of the six losses for Crookston were sweeps, while the sixth was a 3-1 loss
• The team averages 10.1 kills per set and a .156 attack percentage; they also average nine assists, 12.1 digs, 1.5 blocks, and 1.8 errors each set
• Through eight matches, UMC's leader in kills (76) and digs (66) is Madison Carsten as Ellery Ehresmann and Lexi Scharold leads them in assists (171) and blocks (17) respectively

 
 
THE WOLVES AND GOLDEN EAGLES HISTORY

• The last meeting between the two teams took place on October 3, 2025, where Northern State came away with a 3-0 win over Minnesota Crookston
• The Wolves are currently on a 25-match win streak vs the Golden Eagles
• The all-time record between the two programs is NSU – 44, UMC – 4

 
MSU MOORHEAD STORYLINES

• Starting the year off 7-2 puts MSU Moorhead sixth in the NSIC standings; they were picked to finish 11th in the league's preseason poll
• After dropping their first match of the season, Moorhead has gone 7-1 since, losing only to No. 21 Angelo State University; they are on a five-match win streak
• MSUM has already reached half of their total wins from a year ago (14) just two weeks into this season
• The Dragons head to Jamestown on Friday then visit Northern State Saturday to open their conference play
• The team averages 13.3 kills, 12.3 assists, 16.3 digs, 2 blocks, and 1.4 aces per set while hitting .247; defensively they hold their opponents to a .184 attack percentage
• This season's leaders are Riah Mandell in kills (96), Madi Colby in assists (179), Maci Martini in digs (130) and aces (17), and Leah Laqua in blocks (37)
• Lead by head coach Kari Thompson entering her fourth season

 
 
THE WOLVES AND DRAGONS HISTORY

• The last meeting between the two teams took place on October 4, 2025, where Northern State came away with a 3-0 win over MSU Moorhead
• The Wolves are currently on a 20-match win streak vs the Dragons

• The all-time record between the two programs is MSUM – 45, NSU – 37