The Northern State Wolves came up big in the clutch to record a volleyball sweep Saturday afternoon.

The Wolves pulled out a hard fought 28-26, 25-23, 25-22 win over Minnesota State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action at Wachs Arena. The Wolves saved a set point in the opener and rallied to score the final five points of the second set to erase a three-point deficit.

The first set was a dramatic back-and-forth battle. NSU’s Lydia Nelson hammered down a huge kill to save set point and tie the score at 26-26. Katleyn Schroeder put the set away with a kill to secure the two-point win.

Schroeder credited her teammates for her big match at the net, pointing to the execution of the game plan.

“We always talk about just keeping our swings high and not bringing the ball down to their blockers, but I give all the credit to our middles and our setters,” Schroeder said. “They were giving me holes in the block that I wouldn’t be able to put on the floor if Vic (Persha) wasn’t pointing a block from me. Ava (Nilsson) does well pushing the ball pin to pin and we just executed it on every pin, so keeping their middle guessing has been a really huge success for us.”

Minnesota State made Northern earn every point, especially in the second set. The Mavericks jumped out to an early lead and kept the Wolves playing from behind, owning a 23-20 advantage. But Northern found another gear when it mattered most, taking its first lead of the set at 24-23 before closing out the set on a massive block.

Schroeder noted that while the second set started slow, the team’s energy never wavered.

“Just a lot of momentum and energy. Once I get in the front row I just want us to get as many points as possible,” Schroeder said. “They kind of had us figured out more in that second set, so we were just focusing on our passing and getting everyone involved.”

Northern coach Brent Aldridge said the team’s energy and focus didn’t drop off after playing a grueling match against No. 13 St. Cloud State the night before.

“We treat everyone the same,” Aldridge said. “Mankato went and beat Duluth at Duluth and gave them their first conference loss of the year. They’re solid at almost every position, and we needed that win to keep us in the mix.”

Northern came out hot in the third set, opening a 7-2 lead. The Mavericks fought back to tie it at 14-14 and later pulled within 22-21, forcing a timeout, but the Wolves slammed the door to take the set 25-22 and complete the sweep.

Northern’s offense was powered by a balanced attack that saw three hitters reach double-digit kills. Schroeder led the charge with a match-high 20 kills on a blistering .474 hitting percentage, while Nelson and Morissen Samuels added 15 kills apiece. Nilsson orchestrated the attack with 44 assists and 15 digs, while Schroeder anchored the back row with 18 digs.

Aldridge credited several individual efforts, including Samuels, who quietly tallied her 15 kills on a highly efficient .378 hitting percentage, and Cara Cyr, who provided a spark from the service line.

“Really gutsy and good performance by Mo,” Aldridge said. “And how about Cara going back and giving us some great aces? She hasn’t even served all year.”

The Wolves also had to overcome a midseason adjustment after an injury to Linnea Nesheim forced Nelson to move from her natural middle position to the outside. Schroeder said stepping up as a leader for Nelson has been a priority.

“I think a lot of what I’ve been focusing on is being there for Lydia and helping her with her shots,” Schroeder said. “I leaned in on Linnea a lot in previous games, so just being there for Lydia and helping her out makes a big difference.”

Nelson credited her teammates for making the transition as smooth as possible, especially after a tough start to the week.

“I really have just been relying on my teammates a lot, because they’re telling me what to do and where to go, and I just knew I could swing well because they had my back,” Nelson said. “I’m sort of used to the big switch ups, but the beginning of the week wasn’t the best for me. But just knowing that the team will give full effort and knowing that they have my back, it doesn’t matter how bad I mess up.”

Aldridge echoed the difficulty of that transition for Nelson.

“By the way, you have three days to go and change your positions,” Aldridge said. “Put that into terms of, ‘Hey, you’re a quarterback and now you’re a wide receiver.'”

Despite the adjustments, Nelson said the team’s chemistry and hustle are what help to keep the Wolves competitive.

“I think we all know what our job is and how to help the next guy, and we have a lot of grit and perseverance to hustle after every ball,” Nelson said. “I’m new here, and like playing college volleyball has been my dream and I’m just happy to be part of it.”

Looking ahead, Aldridge said the focus is on cleaning up the team’s defense at the net and continuing to build on recent momentum.

“One thing we want to work on is touching quick,” Aldridge said. “In defending the right side, Makenna Nold now at CSP is unbelievably good. I think if we do that, keep our service strong, and continue to increase people’s range hitting, we will be good.”

Northern improved to 15-6 overall and 10-3 in NSIC play. The Wolves hit the road next weekend, traveling to face Concordia St. Paul on Friday and playing at Winona State on Saturday.

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

https://nsuwolves.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/minnesota-state/boxscore/14678