Northern State put a block up before putting the hammer down on the way to a sweep over Mary to finish off Gypsy Days at Wachs Arena Saturday night.

The Wolves pulled out a tight first set before rolling to a 25-20, 25-13, 25-14 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference volleyball victory in front of more than 1,200 fans.

“One of the keys I think against that team is you have to serve and pass,” said Northern coach Brent Aldridge, “with every team, but with them, get them out of system, and then we actually blocked pretty well.”

It was Victora Persha that set the tone at the net with three blocks in the opening set.

“It was just insane,” Persha said. “The first block I was like OK we’re good, and then the second and third, I was like Wow, OK we’re rolling right now, so I was excited.”

The Wolves were able to pull away from a 16-16 deadlock in the opening set and scored six of the last eight points to secure the set and momentum for the rest of the match.

“It was so important,” Persha said of claiming the first set. “We came out swinging. We came out wanting to win after a hard five-set against Jamestown (on Thursday). We wanted to push really hard today, because its Gypsy Days, a big crowd, we wanted to win that first set hard.”

Once the Wolves had a one-set advantage, they controlled the final two sets to close out the sweep.

Northern was able to contain Mary outside hitter Holli Klettheimer, limiting her to six kills in the match.

“The kid that I think is a key for them, too, is number 7 (Klettheimer), their right side,” Aldridge said. “She’s good, athletic, hits in a lot of zones, and so we had a good scout on her, but I think our serving really helped. You lose the middle, it’s a little easier to go get on some tendencies of the outsides.”

The Wolves received 13 kills each from Linnea Nesheim and Katelyn Schroeder, and a steady all-around contribution from Ava Nilsson, who finished with four kills, an ace, 37 set assists and three blocks.

Nilsson used a variety of skills, including placing a couple of balls at angles where the Marauders couldn’t get to them.

“I think you just know that by playing a lot of volleyball, and playing good volleyball with the right group of people,” Nilsson said of what shot to employ at the right time. “It just becomes second nature.”

The former Warner standout said it also helps to have a good game plan heading into a match.

“That’s more so scouting beforehand,” Nilsson said. “Our coaches do a great job at giving us a great scouting report on what works, what doesn’t work, how they play defense, how they set up their block, all those kind of things, so then we go into matches ahead of time knowing how to score effectively.”

Schroeder also contributed 11 digs to the NSU ledger, including one where she dove head first well beyond the baseline to keep a ball from hitting the floor on a point the Wolves eventually won.

“Katelyn is a great athlete. I love playing with her,” Nilsson said. “She always has a smile on her face and she makes amazing plays like that, which just keeps the games rolling fast.”

Aldridge said those hustle plays create a lot of energy and make everybody on the squad want to play harder.

“I’ve always said that it is contagious,” Aldridge said. “If I’m going to go throw it all out there, then you go throw it, then we win more points.”

The Wolves have reached the midway point in their season with a 10-4 record as they progress deeper into their demanding NSIC schedule.

“The NSIC is such a great conference,” Persha said. “We have the best teams in the NSIC and going up against great competition every single game and every single weekend is incredible, and I’m so happy that I get to do that with my team.”

The Wolves have three home matches coming up this week, hosting Minot State on Tuesday, Wayne State on Friday and Augustana on Saturday.

Aldridge said the team still has work to do to move up in the conference ranks.

“We’re going to have to beat some people that no one thinks we should beat yet,” Aldridge said.

The Wolves are willing to put in the work to do just that, knowing that every match in the NSIC is a tough one.

“I think every day’s a grind,” Nilsson said. “The NSIC is such a competitive conference that we need to show up every day ready to compete, because night by night every team wants to take a W, so I think we have work to do every single day.”

To see a complete box score, click on the following link:

https://nsuwolves.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/umary/boxscore/14671