Knowing what was at stake, Northern State regrouped, reloaded and rebounded for a volleyball win over Winona State on Saturday afternoon.
Playing with an eye on securing a spot in the upcoming Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament, the Wolves shook off a Friday night setback to claim a 25-20, 25-14, 25-20 NSIC sweep over the Warriors at Wachs Arena.
Less than 24 hours after getting swept by Concordia-St. Paul, the Wolves put that in the past to record a meaningful win in the present.
“We knew we had to beat Winona to even make it into the conference tournament, just because our conference is so competitive,” Northern’s Katelyn Schroeder. “We’re big on just moving on. We can’t change the past.”
While the Wolves needed a timeout before they even scored against Winona, falling behind 4-0, they eventually tied the score at 13-13. From there, they gradually pulled away, scoring four of the last five points to secure the opening set.
Northern controlled the second set, which also came with a milestone accomplishment when Abby Brooks broke the school record for most career block assists.
“It means a lot. I’m surrounded by a lot of good athletes on the court every day. I’ve worked really hard,” Brooks said. “I don’t want to diminish any of that, but it’s just a small thing that shows how hard I worked outside of the gym and the time that I’ve put in. It’s really fun to see that kind of displayed with this record, I guess.”
The Wolves appeared to be well on their way to a sweep in the third set before Winona had other ideas. The Warriors erased a seven-point deficit and grabbed a brief 19-18 lead before Northern finished off the match by scoring six of the final seven points, most coming with Linnea Nesheim at the service line.
The win avenged a four-set loss to Winona earlier this season.
“What they did when we played them at their place is their outsides beat us up pretty good,” said Northern coach Brent Aldridge. “We did get a couple of timely stuff blocks. I thought Linnea did a great job in that stretch serving.”
Schroeder said the Wolves try use better communication to help them get through rough stretches like the one they faced in that third set.
“We, in those moments, focus on every single ball. It starts with our pass,” Schroeder said. “We just keep it on the 10-foot line and then make sure we always have as many options as possible, and we’re talking to each other, telling each other where to go. “We just try to stay calm in those moments and really communicate with each other. I think that’s what gets us out of those tough situations.”
And unlike Friday night, the Wolves were the ones in the driver’s seat, dictating what was happening on the court.
“Defensively, they hit negative and for me, I used to be defensive coordinator for 10 years at Division I, and that makes me exceedingly happy when we impose our will on someone else,” Aldridge said. “It happened last night. I gotta be honest, it’s way more fun when we do it, than when someone does it to us.”
Make no mistake, the Warriors still got their swings in, many of a solid variety, but the Wolves were up to the task at the net, led by the record-breaking Brooks.
“They have a lot of strong hitters,” Brooks said, “and obviously no one likes to get blocked. … You can get harder blocks if they hit the ball harder.”
Schroeder got in on the block party and turned away one shot that nearly knocked her backwards.
“That was exciting. I’ve been really trying to work on my blocking moves this year, so every touch that I get I’m really happy with,” Schroeder said, “but yeah, it kind of just blew me away a little bit. There was a lot of power behind that hit.”
In the end, Northern got the win that it was looking for and the Wolves got to celebrate a new school record, one that Brooks said she did not realize was coming.
“I’m not the biggest fan of surprises, but it was really sweet,” Brooks said of the post-match recognition. “I really appreciate all the support I got from my teammates and from their families. … It just makes you feel so supported and loved, so that was really nice.”
Nesheim led the Northern attack with a dozen kills in the match.
The Wolves have two final regular-season home matches remaining. NSU hosts Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, before taking on Sioux Falls on Saturday at Wachs Arena.
“Whatever it takes,” Aldridge said. “This time of year, it’s about winning.”
The Wolves will attempt to take advantage of every chance they get from here on out.
“I feel like we just want to take every opportunity, every small moment that we’ve been given, and just make the most of it and really finish the season strong,” Brooks said.
To see a complete box score, click on the following link:
https://nsuwolves.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2025/winona-state/boxscore/14032
