MADISON, S.D. – The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) announced its first installment of volleyball players-of-the-week honors Monday. Maddie Polzin of Dakota State (S.D.) was selected as its Attacker-of-the-Week. Clarissa Hilary of Valley City State (N.D.) was named the Setter-of-the-Week. Mason Hart of Mayville State (N.D.) was chosen as its Defender-of-the-Week.
NSAA Volleyball Attacker-of-the-Week
Maddie Polzin – Dakota State (S.D.) – 5’9″, Senior, outside hitter – Baltic, S.D. – Polzin had a monstrous weekend, racking up double-digits kills in all four matches as Dakota State (S.D.) went 3-1 record in the Kansas Wesleyan tournament. She accumulated 29 kills on the first day of the tournament, leading to a pair of victories. On the final day of the tournament, Polzin smashed a career-high 24 kills in 3-1 victory over host-team Kansas Wesleyan and followed up with 20 kills in 3-1 defeat to Friends (Kan.). For the weekend, Polzin smashed 73 kills and averaged 4.6 kills per set in the tournament. She also collected 24 digs (1.5 digs per set), four service aces and four block assists.
NSAA Volleyball Setter-of-the-Week
Clarissa Hilary – Valley City State (N.D.) – 5’8″, Freshman, setter – Elk River, Minn. – Hilary tallied 124 set assists over three matches for Valley City State (N.D.). She also posted a pair of double-double—29 assists and 11 digs versus Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) and 46 assists and 11 digs at Mayville State (N.D.). For the week, Hilary averaged 10.3 set assists per set. She also collected 29 digs (2.4 digs per set) and registered four service aces.
NSAA Volleyball Defender-of-the-Week
Mason Hart – Mayville State (N.D.) – 5’3″, Senior, defensive specialist – Moorhead, Minn. – Hart tallied 85 digs as Mayville State (S.D.) went 2-1 record for the weekend. She recorded 31 digs in 3-2 season debut defeat to Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). She followed up with 26 digs in 3-1 victory over Valley City State (N.D.) and 28 digs in 3-2 victory over Hastings (Neb.). For the week, Hart recorded a reception rate of 97.1 percent and committed one reception error in 35 receptions. She averaged 6.1 digs per set (14 sets played).
Recap from last week’s action
The NAIA Volleyball season officially kicked off the 2020-21 season on Sept. 5.
Dakota State (S.D.) went 3-1 record in the Kansas Wesleyan tournament in Salina, Kan. The Trojans won their first three matches in the tournament, defeating Sterling (Kan.) 3-0 and McPherson (Kan.) 3-2 on Sept. 5. Dakota State won 3-1 against the host-team Kansas Wesleyan before falling short to Friends (Kan.) 3-1 on Sept. 6.
Mayville State (N.D.) fell short to Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in a five-set thriller in Valley City, N.D. on Sept. 5. The Comets earned a pair of home victories on Sept. 6, defeating Valley City State (N.D.) in four sets and Hastings in five-set thriller. MSU is 2-1 overall record on the season.
Viterbo (Wis.) dropped a pair of matches (0-2 overall record) against a pair of teams that qualified for NAIA national tournament last season on Sept. 5 in Fremont, Neb. The V-Hawks lost a five-set thriller to Grand View (Iowa), followed by a 3-1 defeat to Missouri Baptist.
Waldorf (Iowa) fell in a pair of matches (0-2 overall record) in the William Penn (Iowa) Wendy’s Invitational on Sept. 5. The Warriors lost a five-set thriller to Briar Cliff (Iowa), followed by a four-set defeat to Mount Marty (S.D.).
Valley City State (N.D.) lost three matches last weekend, falling to 0-3 overall record. The Vikings were swept by Dakota Wesleyan on Sept. 5, followed by a five-set thriller defeat to Hastings. VCSU lost to MSU in four sets on Sept. 6.
Bellevue (Neb.), Dickinson State (N.D.) and Presentation (S.D.) were idle last weekend.
Looking Ahead
Presentation (S.D.) opens their season on Tuesday evening as they host Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). The Saints will also play two matches with Mount Marty (S.D.) on Saturday in Yankton.
All remaining North Star conference members will be idle this week, including Bellevue (Neb.), Dakota State (S.D.), Dickinson State (N.D.), Mayville State (N.D.), Valley City State (N.D.), Viterbo (Wis.) and Waldorf (Iowa).
The North Star volleyball conference season officially starts on Tuesday, Sept. 15 with PC visiting Mayville State (N.D.). The rest of the North Star conference openers are scheduled on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
