It could not have been scripted any better for the Northern State volleyball team Friday night.
Playing in front of a loud crowd of their athletic peers, the Wolves put forth one of their best efforts of the season to dominate one of the best teams in the country. Northern had a hitting percentage of .513 as it swept past one-loss 13th-rated Minnesota-Duluth 25-17, 25-17, 25-13 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference volleyball action at Wachs Arena.
When asked when the last time was the Wolves had a match like that against Duluth, NSU coach Brent Aldridge quickly responded: “2015, we hit .420 and they were ranked number one,” he said. “We’ve now hit back-to-back matches over .500 for the match.”
To make the victory over the Bulldogs even sweeter, a variety of other Northern teams were attendance to cheer the Wolves on providing an electric atmosphere.
“I loved the crowd. Mad props to football, wrestling, softball, both basketballs were here,” Aldridge said. “I think that’s what volleyball should be about. That’s what all sports should be about.”
There certainly wasn’t a lack of energy, which continued to build throughout the evening as Northern’s lead against Duluth continued to build as well.
“It was fun,” Aldridge said. “We haven’t had one like that in a while and I think our kids loved it.”
Did they ever.
Abby Brooks, who was a force at net all night long, appreciated the environment.
“I also loved the atmosphere that it brought tonight,” Brooks said. “There was a lot of people in attendance and we really appreciate all the support. … It definitely made it such a fun game to play in and be a part of.”
Brooks finished with a team leading 14 kills on a variety of shots, in addition to stonewalling numerous Duluth attempts with her blocking.
“I think our team played really well tonight. We all worked hard,” Brooks said. “Our passers did a great job keeping us in system. Ava (Nilsson) worked hard to get us in good positions to hit the ball.”
Nilsson racked up 41 set assists and worked with the entire Wolves front line as Northern was relentless in its attack on the Bulldogs.
Cara Cyr, who contributed eight kills to the NSU total, also credited Nilsson for her role in the victory.
“You just have to be aggressive and trust your setter,” Cyr said. “Your setter is going to open up a lot of opportunities for you and Ava did a really good job of that today, pulling blockers one way and setting the opposite. She did awesome.”
The Wolves pulled away from an 11-10 lead in the opening set, scoring four straight points – two on kills by Brooks. The margin never got under four points the rest of the set.
The second set was nearly identical. Northern owned a 12-10 advantage and led 19-16 before scoring six of the last seven points for a commanding two-set lead.
The Wolves then controlled the final set, finishing off the sweep by scoring nine of the last 10 points.
“Coach does a great job prepping us for every game. Each game we come on to the court, just do what we can do and control what we can control,” Brooks said. “I think the team did really great. Our team hitting percentage was .500, so that’s like absolutely insane for a team. I’m just really proud of how we all played tonight.”
Northern received major contributions from everyone on the way to the dominating victory, including eight kills by Natalia Szybinska, and a team-leading 18 digs from Libero Abby Schauer.
Aldridge called Schauer “kind of go-kart without breaks out here; getting balls that I guarantee there’s not one other kid in this conference that can get the two balls she got. She’s unbelievable.”
The win was an important one for the Wolves (12-4 overall and 4-4 in the NSIC), who lost four early league matches and are now battling to get back in the conference race.
“It’s a really important game for us,” Brooks said. “After those tough losses, we really looked at this as an opportunity to show how we have been as a team and where we want to be. … I think this is a good show of how good we can be when we all perform well.”
As is the case year in and year out, the NSIC provides stiff competition each weekend, regardless of the opponent or the location.
“We go into every weekend, you want to win both. You kind of have to in this conference,” Cyr said. “It’s a really competitive conference with lots of competition. You have to get it your all.”
The Wolves have another NSIC contest at 2 this afternoon, hosting Bemidji State.
“I’ve watched film on them. They’re good,” Aldridge said. “They’re physical; they’re physical at the right spot for them.”
The Wolves will work to make sure there is no letdown after the impressive victory over Duluth.
“This was one was great. It was awesome. We won,” Cyr said. “But (Saturday’s) a new day. It’s a new game, so you have to come with the same mentality you had coming into this match.”
To see a complete box score, click on the following link:
https://nsuwolves.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2025/minnesota-duluth/boxscore/14024
