Volleyball earns 17th win of the season in USF sweep

Saturday, October 26

St. Cloud, Minn.

2 p.m.

St. Cloud State

16-5,8-5NSIC

Sioux Falls

13-8,6-7NSIC

Sioux Falls

St. Cloud St.

Phebie Rossi celebrates a block in the second set against Sioux Falls.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

10/26/2019 4:09:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – They say it's a "Sweet 16", but for the St. Cloud State University volleyball team, 17 might be even sweeter.

After 12 consecutive seasons with a .500 or lower record, the Huskies can claim their highest-win total since the 2004 season, as they won their 17^th match of the year in a thrilling 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-23) sweep of the University of Sioux Falls. St. Cloud State additionally clinched its ninth win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, improving to 17-4 overall with a 9-4 conference record.

The Huskies picked up right where they left off Friday night, winning the first set 25-20 to take an early 1-0 lead in the set. Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) was an offensive and defensive power horse for St. Cloud State, leading the way with five kills and nine digs in the opening set alone. St. Cloud State was also aided by five Sioux Falls serving errors in the first set while committing just two of its own.

The second set was far closer than either the Huskies or Cougars were hoping for, as neither team led by more than two points throughout its duration. Every time St. Cloud State or Sioux Falls seemed to gain momentum, the other team was there to nip it right in the butt until the Huskies found themselves up 13-7 midway through the set. The Cougars, though, slowly but surely chipped away at St. Cloud State' lead, eventually whittling it all the way down to 19-17 thanks to strong serves from Kasandra Springer.

Still, it looked like the Huskies were destined for another easy win, as Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) recorded nearly three consecutive kills to boost the team's lead to 21-18. St. Cloud State then took a 23-19 lead thanks to a kill from Rachel and yet another Sioux Falls attack error. Though the Huskies needed just two points to win the set, the Cougars won three straight, cutting the lead to 23-22 before Rachel boosted St. Cloud State's lead to 24-22.

That was when things got interesting. Souix Falls managed to win two consecutive points, tying the set at 24-24 on a kill by Springer and a block on the Huskies Bella Erne (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine). With Rachel in the back row, it looked like the Cougars might hand St. Cloud State a loss in the set, but kills from Halle Hughes (Mankato, Minn. / Mankato West) and Chloe Dousette (St. Paul, Minn. / Cretan-Derham Hall) clinched the victory at 26-24.

The Huskies got off to a slow start in the third set, falling behind 4-1 after their 26-24 second set win. Serving errors by Sioux Falls kept St Cloud State in the set; however, the Cougars scrappy play on defense helped them buffer their lead to 13-8 midway through.

Again, it was Sioux Falls serving errors that allowed the Huskies to crawl their way back in the match. After head coach Chad Braeglemann called a timeout trailing 13-8, St. Cloud State won the next two points on a service error by the Cougars and a split-block kill from Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany). Sioux Falls, though, won the next point to extend its lead to 14-10, only to give the ball right back to St. Cloud State with its 14^th service error of the match.

The two teams traded points, until the Cougars managed to take, what seemed to be, a substantial 17-13 lead over the Huskies. That was when everything shifted for St. Cloud State. First, a block by Torve and Rossi cut the lead to 17-14 before strong serving from Clara Krenz (Oakdale, Minn. / North St. Paul) forced Sioux Falls out of rotation and allowed St. Cloud State to tie the set at 17-17.

The Cougars won the next point, but the Huskies hung with the visiting team, matching Sioux Falls point for point before jumping to a 22-21. The two teams then traded points, leaving things knotted 23-23 with both teams poised to take the late lead. Fortunately, it was St. Cloud State on a kill from Rossi that went up 24-23 and eventually won 25-23 on a block by the first year middle blocker and Rachel, winning the match in straight sets.

Not a single Husky recorded double-digit kills in the victory, with Rachel leading the way with nine kills and just three errors on 32 attempts. She, along with Krenz, led the team in digs with 18, while Hughes and Rossi both finished the match with eight kills.

With the win, St. Cloud State clinches its 17^th victory of the season, the most the team has achieved since it went 19-12 in 2004. The Huskies also improve to 9-4 in NSIC play with one month remaining in the regular season.

St. Cloud State will return to action on Thursday, October 31 when the team hosts the Universtiy of Minnesota-Duluth at 6 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall.