BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State volleyball student-athletes
Leah Jones,
McKenzie Tolk, and
Sydney Thein were awarded with Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Player of the Week honors after their performances last weekend. The three contributed to the Mustangs going 2-0, including a four-set win over No. 22 ranked Northern State, and a 3-1 win against Jamestown.
Jones, a Junior native of Marshall, Minn., was awarded Offensive Player of the Week. Jones had 39 kills, while averaging 4.88 kills per set, and hitting .295 on the weekend. Against Northern State Jones had 24 kills in the match, and reached the 1,000 career kills mark, averaging 6.0 kills per set. The following day against Jamestown, Jones followed up with 15 kills and four service aces. Jones led the NSIC in kills per set and points per set (5.50).
This is Jones' second Offensive Player of the Week award in her career (Sept. 30, 2024) and the first Offensive Player of the Week for the Mustangs this season.
Tolk, a Senior from Minneota, Minn., was awarded Defensive Player of the Week. Tolk accumulated 53 digs, averaging 6.63 digs per set, second best in the NSIC. Tolk had 24 digs and four assists in Friday's victory over Northern State and tied her season high the following day against Jamestown with 29 digs, averaging 7.25 digs per set.
This is Tolk's second Defensive Player of the Week award in her career (Nov. 18, 2024) and is the second Defensive Player of the Week award for the Mustangs this season.
Emily Rohrer won the award on Sept. 29.
Thein, a native of Clara City, Minn., was awarded Setter of the Week. Thein, a sophomore, had 110 assists, averaging an NSIC best 13.75 assists per set. Against Northern State on Friday, Thein had 62 assists, her second-highest mark this season, and averaged 15.5 assists per set. Thein followed up the next day with 48 assists against Jamestown. Thein added 12 and 14 digs in those respective matches, giving her 13 total double-doubles on the season.
This is the fifth Setter of the Week award for
Sydney Thein in her career, and the second for her this season, when she won the award on Sept. 15.
The trio will look to build on the Mustangs positive momentum as they host the final regular season matches in the 2025 season. On Friday, Nov. 14, SMSU faces UMary at 6 p.m. for Senior Night, and will take on Minot State the following day at 2 p.m. for Parents' Day. More information can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball.
