BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference office announced on Monday that SMSU volleyball players Leah Jones and Sydney Thein have earned weekly player honors following a 3-0 week at home, including a pair of five-set victories. 

Jones, a native of Marshall, Minn., earns NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. The sophomore outside hitter was the cornerstone of the SMSU offense last week, posting a team-high 4.00 kills per set (52 total) on a .244 hitting percentage, while assisting the offense with four assists and three service aces.

Jones batted down a match-high 18 kills while adding 17 digs and a pair of blocks for a double-double in the 3-2 non-conference win over Augustana. In the five-set win over No. 22 Northern State, Jones swung for a career-high 19 kills on .250 hitting while again adding 18 digs for another double-double.

She would end the weekend with a match-high 15 kills on a season-best .379 hitting percentage in the sweep over MSU Moorhead. 

Jones is a 2023 graduate of Marshall High School.
 
Thein, a native of Clara City, Minn., earns NSIC Setter of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. The redshirt freshman shined over the week posting 12.38 assists per set, while leading the Mustangs to a .285 team hitting percentage.

Thein recorded a then-career-high 56 assists against Augustana, then logged a career-high 64 assists in the win over No. 22 Northern State. 

She would end the weekend with a career match-high 13.67 assists per set (41) against MSU Moorhead, while boasting 7.67 digs per set (23) in the win. Thein also had a standout weekend defensively, posting 4.15 digs per set.
 
Thein is a 2023 graduate of MACCRAY High School.
 
Southwest Minnesota State (13-0, 3-0 NSIC) hits the road for match-ups at Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.