Golden, CO (NSUWolves.com) [FRI] – The Northern State University volleyball team began their season in Golden, Colorado for day two of the Oredigger Classic. The Wolves start their 2026 campaign 2-0, with wins over the Saints and Mountain Lions.

THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score vs Flagler: NSU 3, FC 0
Final Score vs Colorado Springs: NSU 3, UCCS 1
Records: NSU 2-0, FC 1-1, UCCS 1-2

HOW IT HAPPENED VS FLAGLER

• Northern State came out on top against Flagler in straight sets with set scores of 25-22, 25-23, and 25-22
• NSU and FC combined for 28 ties and 12 lead changes throughout the three-set match
• The Wolves used late 4-0 runs to take control of the first two sets
• Northern State scored 61 points and had 53 kills, 51 assists, 55 digs, and five blocks, hitting .304 as a team
• The Wolves defense held Flagler to a .200 attack percentage and forced 14 errors
• Katelyn Schroeder and Linnea Nesheim led the Wolves on offense with 13 kills apiece, followed by Victoria Persha with nine kills while hitting .375
• Nesheim, Schroeder, and Persha led the team with 14.0, 13.0, and 11.0 respective points
• Ava Nilsson had 44 of the team’s 51 assists, along with 13 digs, four kills, and two service aces
• Ashley Yost led the Wolves defensively with 15 digs; Schroeder also added 10 digs, while Nesheim tallied five digs

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Katelyn Schroeder: 13 kills, .282 attack %, 10 digs
• Linnea Nesheim: 13 kills, 14.0 pts, 2 BA
• Ava Nilsson: 44 assists, 13 digs, 2 aces
• Victoria Persha: 9 kills, .375 attack %, 11.0 pts

HOW IT HAPPENED VS COLORADO SPRINGS

• NSU got the best of UCCS, 3-1, with set scores of 25-17, 25-18, 16-25, and 25-15
• Up 16-14 in the fourth, Northern State went on a 9-1 run to end the set and secure the win
• The Wolves scored 68.5 points and had 52 kills, 50 assists, 46 digs, and 11.5 blocks while hitting .282 as a team
• Northern’s defense held Colorado Springs to hitting .212 and forced 19 errors
• Victoria Persha led the Wolves on offense with 16 kills and a .750 attack percentage, followed by Linnea Nesheim with 14 kills while hitting .370
• 47 of the team’s 50 assists belonged to Ava Nilsson, she also had five digs and three block assists
• Defensively, Ashley Yost’s 19 digs was the most on the team, Nesheim added 10 digs herself

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Victoria Persha: 16 kills, .750 attack %, 5 BA, 19.5 PTS
• Linnea Nesheim: 14 kills, .370 attack %, 10 digs, 17.5 PTS
• Ava Nilsson: 47 assists, 5 digs, 3 BA
• Ashley Yost: 19 digs, 2 assists

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Golden, CO (NSUWolves.com) [SAT] – NSU’s volleyball team rounded out their weekend at the Oredigger Classic by splitting their Saturday contests. The Wolves defeated the Toros in three sets, then fell to the Cougars in five.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS CSU DOMINGUEZ HILLS

• Northern State came out on top against Cal State Dominguez Hills in straight sets with set scores of 25-17, 25-11, and 25-8
• NSU used a 5-0 run in the second set to build a 20-9 advantage before closing the frame 25-11
• The Wolves later rattled off nine straight points in the third set to go ahead 23-7
• Northern State hit .551 as a team, recording 44 kills; they added 41 assists, 31 digs, 12 service aces, and eight total blocks
• The Wolves’ defense held the Toros to a .108 attack percentage and forced 15 errors
• Linnea Nesheim led the Wolves on offense with 15 kills while hitting .619, followed by Katelyn Schroeder with 12 kills and a .632 attack percentage
• Nesheim and Schroeder had team highs of 18.0 and 14.5 respective points; Lydia Nelson notched 9.5 points herself
• 35 of the team’s 41 assists belonged to Ava Nilsson; she also tallied six digs and three service aces
• Defensively, Ashley Yost had eight digs, while Sara Moberg, Schroeder, and Nesheim each added five
• Cara Cyr led Northern State at the net with four block assists

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Linnea Nesheim: 15 kills, .619 attack %, 18 PTS
• Katelyn Schroeder: 12 kills, .632 attack %, 14.5 PTS
• Ava Nilsson: 35 assists, 6 digs, 3 aces
• Lydia Nelson: 7 kills, .286 attack %, 2 digs, 2 blocks

HOW IT HAPPENED VS COLORADO CHRISTIAN

• NSU dropped a five-set battle against CCU with set scores of 25-13, 23-25, 25-7, 15-25, and 10-15
• The Wolves went on a 14-1 run in the third set, turning an 11-6 lead into a 25-7 set victory; they won the last nine points of the set
• Northern State led the match in most statistical areas, hitting .313 as a team and finishing with 59 kills, 57 assists, and 55 digs
• Each team recorded 17 errors and eight service aces; Colorado Christian hit .259 as a team
• Katelyn Schroeder tallied a team-high 19 kills on a .395 attack percentage; Linnea Nesheim was the next highest with 14 kills
• Leading the team in hitting percentage was Victoria Persha with a .522, she added 13 kills, two service aces, and a dig
• 51 of the team’s 57 assists went to Ava Nilsson; she also recorded 12 digs and three service aces
• Ashley Yost had 19 digs to lead the team and to go along with her five assists and one ace

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Katelyn Schroeder: 19 kills, .395 attack %, 7 digs
• Victoria Persha: 13 kills, .522 attack %, 2 aces
• Ava Nilsson: 51 assists, 12 digs, 3 aces
• Ashley Yost: 19 digs, 5 assists, 1 ace

BEYOND THE STATS

• Three Wolves were named to the 2026 Oredigger Classic All-Tournament Team: Outside Hitter Linnea Nesheim, Setter Ava Nilsson, and Right Side Victoria Persha.
• Nesheim was also named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player

UP NEXT
The Wolves hit the road again, this time for the Fairfield Inn Griffon Volleyball Classic. Northern will matchup against Oklahoma Christian and Missouri Western at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively, on Friday, September 4 in the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Missouri.