Volleyball closes regular season with 3-2 win over #21 Upper Iowa

Saturday, November 16

Fayette, Iowa

4:00 p.m.

St. Cloud State

23-5,15-5NSIC

Upper Iowa

20-8,12-8NSIC

St. Cloud St.

Upper Iowa

Taylor Olstad recorded a career-high 28 digs in a win over Upper Iowa Saturday.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

Volleyball closes regular season with 3-2 win over #21 Upper Iowa

11/16/2019 9:57:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

FAYETTE, Iowa – Sometimes, it really is ok for history to repeat itself, especially when it involves the St. Cloud State University volleyball team.

In its final match of the regular season, St. Cloud State faced a familiar opponent, Upper Iowa University, a team the Huskies already beat to start the 2019 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) season. The first time the two teams met, St. Cloud State overcame three stoppages of play for a five set victory over Upper Iowa.

Once again, it took five sets, but the Huskies were again victorious, coming from behind to take down the Peacocks 3-2 (19-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 16-14), concluding the regular season with an overall record of 23-5 and a 15-5 mark in NSIC play.

St. Cloud State found itself playing catch up early, as the team fell behind 2-0 in the match after dropping the first set 25-19 and the second 25-23. However, the Huskies started the third set on the right foot, jumping to an early 4-2 lead thanks to a variety of kills from their top hitters.

Upper Iowa, though, showed just how are it is to win in Fayette, Iowa, as the Peacocks stormed ahead 6-4, forcing St. Cloud State to play catch up once again. The Huskies managed to keep within three of Upper Iowa's lead, allowing them to eventually tie the set at 10-10 on a kill from Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake).

St. Cloud State hung with Upper Iowa until the team took a 17-14 lead on a serving run by Taylor Olstad (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan). At that point, it looked like the Huskies would cruise to victory until Upper Iowa stepped in to take a 23-22 lead. Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) and Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) had other ideas, as the two helped St. Cloud State win three consecutive points to force a fourth set with a 25-23 set three win.

The Huskies, though, did not get off to the greatest start in set four, as they again found themselves in an early 7-4 deficit. This time, it looked like St. Cloud State would not be able to rally. Every time the Huskies managed to cut the lead to two or three points, the Peacocks would do on a rally of their own, eventually extending their lead to 16-13 late in the set.

Then, the thing happened. Rossi and Houle again powered a huge run for St. Cloud State, allowing the team to rally and tie the set at 16-16. While the Peacocks won the next point, it wasn't enough to stop the Huskies train, as they won nine of the following 10 points to hold a 24-18 advantage over Upper Iowa. A final kill from Rachel clinched the 25-20 victory for St. Cloud State and forced the decisive fifth.

It was all Huskies early and often in the fifth, as they won the race to eight and held an 8-4 lead midway through the set. Upper Iowa, though, wasn't about to go away quietly, as the Peacocks rallied to cut St. Cloud State's lead to 8-7. Still, the Huskies managed to stay one step ahead, allowing them to hold a 13-11 lead.

It looked like it was smooth sailing to victory, until Upper Iowa won three consecutive points on kills from Anna Winter to hold a 14-13 advantage over St. Cloud State. The Huskies fought off the first match point without doing anything, as Carlee Ketchum committed a serving error, giving St. Cloud State a free pass at 14-14.

The Huskies defense won them the match, as a block by Rossi and Houle gave St. Cloud State a 15-14 lead. The biggest block of the night came on the very next point, as Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany) came up with a huge solo block on Maggie Steighiff, clinching the 16-14 win for the Huskies.

St. Cloud State saw a slew of people record career highs in the victory, particularly on the defensive side of the court. Olstad was the team's top defensive player in the back row, as she recorded a career-high and team-high 28 digs in the win. Four other Huskies recorded double-digit digs, including Houle with a career-high 14, Rachel with 19, Clara Krenz (Oakdale, Minn. / North St. Paul) with 17 and Torve with 10.

Offensively, three different student-athletes recorded double-digit kills, led by Rachel's 22. Rossi finished the match with a career-high 15 kills while Marah Mulso (Marshall, Minn. / Marshall) recorded 12. Torve piloted the offense, as she tallied a career-high 60 assists and helped St. Cloud State hit .227 as a team.

With the win, the Huskies conclude the regular season with a 23-5 overall record and a 15-5 mark in NSIC play. The win also helped St. Cloud State clinch the No. 4 seed in the NSIC Tournament, which is set to take place November 22-24 at The Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Huskies are slated to take on #5 Wayne State College at 5 p.m. in the opening round on Friday, November 22.