BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced on Wednesday that Southwest Minnesota State University setter
Sydney Thein has been named to the All-NSIC first team, while teammates
Leah Jones,
Saari Kuehl,
Ashley Peltier,
McKenzie Tolk, and
Emma VanHeel have been named All-NSIC second team.
The all-conference teams and specialty awards were selected by the 15 conference head coaches.
Thein, a redshirt freshman setter from Clara City, Minn., earns All-NSIC first team honors for the first time in her career. She has dished out 1,080 assists while ranking third on the team with 301 digs. Thein has registered 71 kills while compiling a .321 hitting percentage and has 18 blocks, 25 service aces and 17 double-doubles. In the latest NCAA national statistics (Nov. 11), she ranks No. 6 in both assists per set (11.61) and total assists. Thein recorded a career-high 73 assists in the win over then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24. The 73 assists are tied for the second-most in a single match in program history.
Jones, a sophomore outside hitter from Marshall, Minn., earns All-NSIC honors for the second consecutive season. Jones earned AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year along with NSIC Freshman of the Year and All-NSIC first team honors a season ago.
Jones ranks second with 276 kills. She has also recorded 302 digs, 42 blocks, 30 service aces, and 30 assists. She has racked up double-digit kills in 14 matches and double-digit digs in 16 matches. Jones swung for a career-high 19 kills in the home win over then-No. 22 Northern State on Sept. 27. She also bumped a career-high 27 digs in the road win versus then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24.
Kuehl, a senior outside hitter from Reinbeck, Iowa, earns All-NSIC honors for the second time in her career. With two regular season matches remaining, Kuehl leads SMSU with 304 kills and has compiled a .226 hitting percentage. Kuehl has amassed double-figure kills in 19 matches, including a season-high 18 twice. She has also recorded 68 digs and 36 blocks.
Peltier, a sophomore right side and middle blocker from Taylors Falls, Minn., earns All-NSIC honors for the first time. She ranks fourth on the team with 234 kills while logging a .288 hitting percentage. Peltier recorded a career-high 18 kills in the win over then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24 and has reached double-digit kills in 10 matches. She has also recorded 72 blocks and 37 digs.
A junior defensive specialist from Minneota, Minn., Tolk leads SMSU with 495 digs and currently ranks 21st nationally in digs per set (5.32). A second time All-NSIC honoree, she has reached double-figures in digs in every match and has registered 20 or more digs nine times. Tolk has also recorded 87 assists and 24 service aces.
A senior middle blocker from Otsego, Minn.,
Emma VanHeel earns All-NSIC honors for the second time in her career. VanHeel ranks third for SMSU with 258 kills on an efficient .317 hitting percentage and leads the team with 101 blocks. She has also recorded 73 digs, 19 service aces, and 16 assists. She has racked up double-digit kills in 12 matches and five or more blocks in 11 matches. VanHeel swung for a season-high 18 kills in the in the road win versus then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24. She currently ranks seventh all-time in program history with 400 total blocks.
St. Cloud State's Kenzie Foley was named NSIC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Northern State's Abby Meister was named NSIC Libero of the Year. Concordia-St. Paul's Makenna Nold was named NSIC Freshman of the Year, and Chad Braegelmann from St. Cloud State was named NSIC Coach of the Year.
SMSU, ranked No. 16 nationally, and currently tied for third place with No. 15 Wayne State in the NSIC standings with a 12-4 record, closes the regular season this Friday and Saturday on the road. SMSU will take on MSU Moorhead on Friday starting at 6 p.m., while on Saturday the Mustangs play No. 18 Northern State starting at 2 p.m.
