Volleyball set to host SMSU, Sioux Falls in key NSIC weekend

| Side-Out Foundation Donation link |

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – It seems like forever and a day since the St. Cloud State University volleyball team played a match in Halenbeck Hall. After a long stretch of road games, the Huskies are (finally) coming home to host #11 Southwest Minnesota State University and the University of Sioux Falls in two key Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matches.

St. Cloud State will open the weekend on Friday with a 6 p.m. nightcap against the #11 Mustangs before facing (RV) Sioux Falls at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday's match will serve as the annual Dig Pink match for the Huskies, as they look to raise money to support breast cancer research. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match and can donate to the Side-Out Foundation leading up to first serve on Saturday.

Here are the five things to know before this weekend's NSIC matches:

13 – Lucky #13? That's what St. Cloud State is hoping, as the team was ranked there in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. After dropping matches to Augustana and #11 Wayne State last weekend, the Huskies fell from #8 to #13, marking their fifth consecutive week ranked in the top-15 in the nation.

6 – Through the first eight weeks of the season, St. Cloud State has played a ranked opponent in six of those weeks, and that's not about to change this weekend. Both SMSU and Sioux Falls received votes in the AVCA poll this week, with the Mustangs moving to the #11 slot. The Cougars additionally have spent the season in and out of the top-25 rankings, earning 15 votes this past week.

7-4 – This is a crucial weekend for all teams involved, especially St. Cloud State and SMSU, as both teams sit in a four-way tie for fifth place in the NSIC standings thanks to their 7-4 records in NSIC play. Currently, the Huskies hold the tiebreaker and would make the NSIC tournament thanks to their wins over Winona State, Upper Iowa and Minnesota State earlier this season.

5 – The schedule is not about to get any easier for St. Cloud State, as the team is still slotted to face five nationally ranked teams after this weekend. While the Huskies still has Minnesota-Crookston and Bemidji State on the schedule, five of their final seven games are against teams in the top-25 or those that have recently received votes in the AVCA polls. The biggest match still on the schedule? Perhaps the Halloween match against current #5 Minnesota-Duluth, slated for a 6 p.m. start in Halenback Hall next Thursday.

$1000 – St. Cloud State will host its annual Dig Pink match on Saturday to raise money for the support of breast cancer research. This season, the Huskies are looking to raise $1000 with the Side-Out Foundation, which donates funds to a clinical trial for patients with Stage 4 breast cancer.

Saint Cloud State University Athletics

Volleyball set to host SMSU, Sioux Falls in key NSIC weekend

Next Event

Related Videos