Jamestown, N.D. – The (RV) University of Jamestown women's volleyball team will be back at Harold Newman Arena on Thursday to play the Northern State University Wolves.
Game Information
The Teams
Jamestown is 10-2 overall and 3-1 in the NSIC as they head into the matchup with their conference travel partner. The Jimmies played their first conference road weekend this past Friday and Saturday, beating Bemidji State in four sets, but falling 3-0 to No. 23 Minnesota Duluth.
UJ played a thrilling match against the then 10-0 Beavers where all three of their set wins were by a two point margin as they handed Bemidji State their first loss of the season. Against the Bulldogs, Jamestown responded well after a 25-13 defeat in the first set, making set two and three competitive, but not quite getting it done. The Jimmies fell 25-23 in set two and 25-22 in set three as they were handed their first conference loss.
Gracie Adamson highlights the Jamestown offense with 3.48 kills per set and 139 kills overall, ranking fifth in the conference in both categories.
Charlotte Lempka is averaging 2.28 kills per set in addition to boasting a .341 attacking percentage (91-29-182).
Caroline Puetz has an average of 2.13 kills per set and leads the Jimmies with 42 blocks (.93 per set).
Ava Bertsch paces UJ with 5.82 assists per set and is tops on the team in service aces with 17.
Sophie Ketterling has been atop the Northern Sun in digs per set for the entire season and comes into the matchup with her season average at 5.64 digs per set, ranking fifth nationwide.
Jamestown has put together strong team numbers in opponent attacking percentage (.157), blocks (2.18 per set), and digs (17.36 per set), all of which rank third in the NSIC.
The Wolves will come into Jamestown with an 8-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the NSIC. NSU has played the same four teams in conference play as the Jimmies with the same four results: wins over MSU Moorhead, Minnesota Crookston, and Bemidji State with a loss to Minnesota Duluth. The Wolves were swept by the Bulldogs just like Jamestown was but defeated the Beavers in three sets last Saturday.
Versus Bemidji State, Katelyn Schroeder had 17 kills and attacked .405 (17-2-37) to go along with nine digs. Linnea Nesheim had 13 kills and nine digs while Ava Nilsson registered 40 assists and nine digs.
Back in 2025, the Wolves went 19-10 overall with an 11-9 NSIC record as they were in and out of the AVCA Top 25 throughout the season. NSU finished seventh in the conference to earn an NSIC tournament berth before they fell to Wayne State in the quarterfinal round. The Wolves were selected eighth in this year's NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Wolves are not a deep team at all, with only nine players recording action so far. However, the players that do see the court are among the best in the conference; this includes the three-headed monster of Nesheim, Schroeder, and Victoria Persha. Nesheim has emerged as one of the top hitters in the NSIC with a conference-best 3.84 kills per set. She has also attacked .321 (169-44-389) through 44 sets played this season. The junior is the only player so far to earn two NSIC Offensive Player of the Week awards. Victoria Persha only attacks a little over four times per set but has posted a .428 attacking percentage (109-23-201) to rank second in the conference. Katelyn Schroeder is third in the NSIC with 3.64 kills per set which gives NSU two of the top three kill leaders in the 16-team league. As a team, the Wolves are by far the best attackers in the conference as they have now hit .312.
Ava Nilsson has some of the most impressive numbers in the conference thus far among setters, leading the conference and all of D-II volleyball with an average of 11.94 assists per set in addition to leading the team with 18 service aces. Nilsson has earned NSIC Setter of the Week twice, joining her teammate Nesheim and Jamestown's Ketterling as the three players in the conference to earn multiple Player of the Week Awards. Ashley Yost keys the backline defense with an average of 4.25 digs per set, ranking fourth in the conference.
Last Time Out
The Jimmies and Wolves met twice last season in Jamestown's first year in the NSIC. Northern State took down the UJ 3-0 on both occasions. The first game in Aberdeen was 25-21, 25-17, and 25-23 and the second game back in Harold Newman Arena was a bit worse with the Jimmies defeated 25-16, 25-17, and 25-13. A win on Thursday would be the first Jamestown win over NSU since 2010.
Team Stats
|
Jamestown |
Northern State |
| Record |
10-2, 3-1 NSIC |
8-4, 3-1 NSIC |
| Place in NSIC Standings |
T-3rd |
T-3rd |
| Kills / Set |
13.2 |
14.1 |
| Attacking Pct. |
.218 |
.312 |
| Assists / Set |
12 |
13.5 |
| Digs / Set |
17.4 |
14.6 |
| Aces / Set |
1.7 |
1.8 |
| Blocks / Set |
2.2 |
1.6 |
Next on the docket after Northern State, the Jimmies will head to Northwestern North Dakota where they will play the Minot State Beavers on Saturday, September 26 at 2 p.m.
