PRESS RELEASE
BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released the 2026 All-Conference volleyball teams with three Northern State University student-athletes honored. Linnea Nesheim, Katelyn Schroeder, and Ava Nilsson each made NSIC First Team All-Conference. NSU is on the verge of their seventh 20-win season under head coach Brent Aldridge, who notched win number 300 at Northern on October 27 with a sweep over Minot State. The team stands at fourth in the NSIC standings with a 19-7 overall record and a 14-4 conference record; they are also receiving 23 votes in the week 10 AVCA Coaches Poll.
Nesheim appeared in 19 games this season for the Wolves, playing in 68 sets. The Sioux Falls native lead the league in kills (272) and kills per set (4.00) before being out the rest of the season due to injury. She averaged a .331 attack percentage and added 171 digs, 25 blocks, and 24 service aces on the season, notching 4.57 points per set. The junior also broke the programs all-time individual match kills record with 28 total kill in the win over USF on October 9. Nesheim has been awarded the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week award twice this season (8/31 and 9/14). This is her first NSIC All-Conference first team selection after landing on the league’s second team during the 2025 season.
Schroeder has played in all 26 matches for the Wolves this season, playing 97 sets. The sophomore from Tulare, S.D. has a team-high 388 kills with a .273 hitting percentage; she’s added 432 total points, 286 digs, 32 blocks, 28 service aces, and 15 assists on the year. Schroeder has the second-most kills in the conference, averaging 4.00 per set along with a league top-3 4.45 points per set; she is second on the team in service aces and digs, fourth in assists, and fifth in blocks. On 10/19, Schroeder claimed the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week award for the first time this season. 2026 marks the first NSIC All-Conference honor of her career.
Nilsson has started all 26 matches and has played in all 97 sets for the Wolves this season. She leads the country in assists per set with 11.63, along with ranking fourth in the nation with 1128 total assists. The Mansfield, S.D. native broke the program’s all time record for assists in an individual match with 66 on October 9 in the victory over USF. The junior has added 232 digs, 44 kills, 42 total blocks, 33 aces, and 98 points on the year. Nilsson has been the NSIC Setter of the Week a league-tying three times this season (8/31, 9/14, and 10/19). This is her first NSIC All-Conference first team selection after being named to the league’s second team in 2025.
