Volleyball upends No. 6 UMD 3-0

Tuesday, September 11

St. Cloud, Minn.

6:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

7-2, 3-0NSIC

Minnesota Duluth

8-3, 2-1NSIC

Minnesota-Duluth

St. Cloud State

The Huskies react to their 3-0 sweep of No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth. It was the first time SCSU defeated a top-10 opponent in 20 years.

Photo by: Tom Nelson

9/11/2018 9:13:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The match had "historic" written all over it, even from the beginning. Unranked St. Cloud State University volleyball taking on its rival the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the No. 6 team in Division II, in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) showdown. Youth versus experience. Huskies (dog) vs. Bulldogs (dog).

It had the makings of a great story, and the match certainly did not disappoint.

With the odds and rankings not in its favor, St. Cloud State (7-2, 3-0 NSIC) volleyball did what no one expected it to do: take down the No. 6 team in the country in straight sets. Yes, the Huskies defeated the Bulldogs in straight sets 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-19), ending a 23-year losing streak against Minnesota-Duluth (8-3, 2-1 NSIC) and defeating a top-10 ranked opponent for the first time in 20 years.

The first set was the closest of the evening, but St. Cloud State was able to top Minnesota-Duluth in the end 25-22. However, the Huskies trailed the Bulldogs by as many as three points in the early stages of the set, as the visitors forced two consecutive attack errors to take a 7-4 lead over St. Cloud State. However, the Huskies were not deterred and slowly but surely chipped away at Minnesota-Duluth's lead. Key was St. Cloud State's play from behind the service line, as the Husky servers forced the Bulldog hitters out system before a kill from first year Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) tied the set at 8-8.

Hear from Head Coach, Chad Braegelmann after SCSU's upset win over #6 UMD. #NSICVB // #unleashSCSU pic.twitter.com/cywqa5nAqI
— St. Cloud State Volleyball (@SCSUhuskies_vb) September 12, 2018

From there, the two teams traded points, as neither St. Cloud State nor Minnesota-Duluth could jump out to more than a one-point lead. That all changed at 16-16, as the Bulldogs scored three consecutive points, jumping ahead to a seemingly commanding 19-16 lead and forcing SCSU head coach Chad Braeglemann to take a time out. However, the time out proved to be a brilliantly strategic maneuver, as it froze the Minnesota-Duluth server and allowed the Huskies to score five of the next seven points, eventually taking a 22-21 lead on a kill from Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany)

The youthful Huskies showed poise as they closed out the first set 25-22 on a kill from senior right side Krista Kuglin (Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka). The momentum stayed on St. Cloud State's side at the start of the second set, as the team opened with a 7-1 lead thanks to a dominant serving run by junior libero Clara Krenz (Oakdale, Minn. / North St. Paul). The junior served six consecutive points and tallied two aces on the run, while Kuglin accounted for two points of the run with two kills. 22796

The Bulldogs eventually managed to score their second point of the set, but the five-point lead by the Huskies was too much to overcome. Offensively, St. Cloud State only outhit Minnesota-Duluth 15-14 in the set but committed just one hitting error in 27 attempts for a .519 hitting percentage, while the Bulldogs hit just .182. Defensively, the Huskies also tallied nine digs and two blocks in the second set, while Minnesota-Duluth only tallied six digs and one block.

After the 25-17 second set victory, the Huskies needed to just win one more set to take the match for their first win against the Bulldogs since 1995. However, Minnesota-Duluth was nationally ranked for a reason and came out swinging to start the third. Like in the first set, the Bulldogs jumped ahead 6-4 thanks to their high-powered, hard-hitting offense before St. Cloud State came roaring back to take a 7-6 lead.

Again, like the first set, the two teams traded points and leads until Rachel took matters into her own hands midway through. With the two teams deadlocked at 11-11, Rachel went on a five-point serving run to give the Huskies the 16-11 lead. Of course, Rachel wasn't the only St. Cloud State volleyball player who came up big in the run. Marah Mulso (Marshall, Minn. / Marshall) and Navratil each played a part as they both recorded a kill and assisted on a huge block to give St. Cloud State the five-point cushion.

After that, the damage was clearly done. Yes, the Bulldogs managed to score a few points here and there during the final set, but it wasn't enough to cut into the Huskies lead. Still, a palpable, excited yet nervous tension filled the air of Halenbeck Hall when St. Cloud State failed to convert match point ahead 24-18. The crowd had nothing to fear though, as Rachel put a stop to any thoughts of a comeback with a monster kill from the back row, closing the sett at 25-19 and securing the victory.

Postgame with Linsey Rachel after her 17 kill performance against #6 Minnesota Duluth. #NSICVB // #unleashSCSU pic.twitter.com/PgV8an6w9W
— St. Cloud State Volleyball (@SCSUhuskies_vb) September 12, 2018

Rachel was the team's top offensive weapon all night, as she tallied 17 kills against Minnesota-Duluth and committed just two errors in 33 attempts for a hitting percentage of .455. Kuglin also tallied double-digit kills with 10, while Navratil added nine.

Defensively, the Huskies were absolutely stellar as four individuals tallied double-digit digs and held the Bulldogs to a season-low .123 hitting percentage. Krenz 22794

led the team with 15 digs, while Olstad, Rachel and Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) each added 10. Torve also led the charge with 37 assists.

With the victory, St. Cloud State's overall record improves to 7-2 and in 3-0 in NSIC play, the team's best record to this point of the season since Braeglemann took over. The Huskies look to continue their win streak over the weekend as they travel to North Dakota. St. Cloud State will take on the University of Mary at 6 p.m. Friday and Minot State University at 12 p.m. on Saturday.