Wolves Earn Split on Road & Nesheim Sets Pgm Record

Posted on October 10, 2026 by - Sports

Sioux Falls, SD (NSUWolves.com) {FRI} – Northern State volleyball went the distance in a five-set battle at Sioux Falls. The Wolves fought after losing the opening set by taking the next two; they dropped the fourth set then sealed the deal in a 15-10 fifth set win.

THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 3, USF 2
Records: NSU 13-5 (NSIC 8-2), USF 6-12 (NSIC 2-8)
Attendance: 346

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Wolves beat the Cougars in a hard-fought five-set victory; the set scores were 16-25, 25-22, 25-18, 21-25, and 15-10
  • NSU hit .337 as a team, recording 74 kills, 72 assists, 71 digs, and four service aces; the Cougars had 14 errors and a team attack percentage of .315
  • After dropping the opening set, Northern responded with 18 kills and a .368 attack percentage in the second to tie up the match
  • A strong third-set performance saw the Wolves hit .417 with 17 kills, taking the frame 25-18
  • After Sioux Falls evened the match in the fourth set, Northern State took control in the deciding frame; NSU built an early 5-2 advantage and extended their advantage to 8-4 before closing out the 15-10 victory
  • Linnea Nesheim led the Wolves’ offensive attack with 28 kills, hitting .511 while adding 14 digs and 30.0 points
  • The offense was directed by Ava Nilsson and her 66 assists; she added two kills and a service ace on the night
  • Katelyn Schroeder notched a double-double, contributing 19 kills and 17 digs while finishing with 19.5 points
  • Victoria Persha also had a big showing, totaling 11 kills, four block assists, two service aces, and 15.0 points on .500 hitting
  • Defensively, Ashley Yost recorded a team-high 19 digs; Nilsson and Sara Moberg added eight and seven digs respectively
  • Impacting both sides of the ball was Morissen Samuels with 11 kills and two block assists

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

  • Linnea Nesheim: 28 kills, .511 attack %, 14 digs
  • Ava Nilsson: 66 assists, 8 digs, 1 ace
  • Katelyn Schroeder: 19 kills, 17 digs, 19.5 PTS
  • Victoria Persha: 11 kills, .500 attack %, 4 BA

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

  • Linnea Nesheim set a new program record for kills in a match with her 28 kill performance; she passed Sally Gaul (26) who previously set the record in 2022 against Minn. Crookston
  • Ava Nilsson’s 66 assist showing tied her for the third most assists in a single-match in program history

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Marshall, MN (NSUWolves.com) {SAT}– Wolves volleyball fell in a five-set battle against the SMSU Mustangs Saturday. Northern went ahead 1-0 and 2-1 in sets before dropping the last two sets by just a handful of points.

THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 2, SMSU 3
Records: NSU 13-6 (NSIC 8-3), SMSU 15-3 (NSIC 9-2)
Attendance: 673

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Wolves dropped a five-set match against the No. 12 Mustangs in a close match; the set scores were 25-21, 19-25, 25-17, 22-25, and 13-15
  • Northern had a team attack percentage of .190 and record 52 kills, 47 assists, 77 digs, nine blocks, and nine service aces; Southwest Minnesota State had 28 errors and hit .215 as a team
  • A service ace from Ashley Yost and a kill from Morissen Samuels helped Northern reach set point at 24-20 before Sara Moberg closed out the opening frame with a kill
  • The Wolves erased an early 9-4 deficit in the third, using a 5-0 run to pull even at 9-9; they responded in the third set with a dominant offensive performance, hitting .419 with 13 kills and no attack errors
  • A late defensive surge helped the Wolves take control of the third set, with Northern scoring seven of eight points to move from 18-16 to 25-17; the run featured kills from Victoria Persha and Samuels along with several block errors from the Mustangs
  • Katelyn Schroeder led NSU with 18 kills, 18 digs, three service aces and 21.5 points while Persha tallied 10 kills, seven total blocks, six digs, and 14.0 points
  • Anchoring the back row was Yost with a team-high 20 digs, while Addie Leach contributed 11 and Moberg added eight digs
  • Ava Nilsson directed the Northern offense with 45 assists, while adding three service aces, eight digs, and three block assists
  • Cara Cyr posted nine kills on .389 hitting, adding a block and 9.5 points

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

  • Katelyn Schroeder: 18 kills, 18 digs, 21.5 PTS
  • Victoria Persha: 10 kills, 7 blocks, 14.0 PTS
  • Ava Nilsson: 45 assists, 8 digs, 3 aces
  • Ashley Yost: 20 digs, 2 assists, 1 ace

UP NEXT
Northern volleyball returns home this Friday, October 16 as they face No. 16 St. Cloud State. Start time is slated for 6 p.m. against the Huskies inside Wachs arena.

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