Volleyball announces 2020 recruit class

ST, CLOUD, MINN. – It's been quite the week for the St. Cloud State University volleyball team. After a historic regular season, the Huskies made quite the splash in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tournament, advancing all the way to the championship match before eventually falling to Concordia-St. Paul. While there's plenty of good in the recent past to dwell on, the future looks quite bright for St. Cloud State, as the team is set to welcome five new Huskies in 2020.

Ainsley Apel (Prarie Du Sac, Wis. / Sauk Prairie), Kenzie Foley (Segeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton), Makena Hollman (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola), Morgan Goettlicher (Le Sueur, Minn. / Le Sueur-Henderson) and Allena Shimon (Des Moines, Iowa / Dowling Catholic) signed their national letters of intent on to play volleyball for St. Cloud State, making them official members of the 2020 recruit class.

"We are very excited to welcome five incoming first years to our 2020 team," Huskies head volleyball coach Chad Braegelmann commented in a recent statement. "This class brings athleticism, volleyball skill and toughness to our team. They've won at a high level in both their high school and club seasons, and I think this class will help us continue to grow and improve as a volleyball program at St. Cloud State."

Meet the incoming class of 2020:

Ainsley Apel (Prairie Du Sac, Wis. / Sauk Prairie)

Apel joins the Huskies after a standout career at Sauk Prairie High School. A four-year varsity starter and letter winner, Apel is a two-time All-Conference honoree and was voted team MVP her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. Additionally, Apel hit the 1000 digs mark as a junior and set the school record with 1863 digs in her high school career. Her senior year she was named Honorable Mention All-State for her play and earned Badger North All-Conference Second Team honors.

Off the court, Apel is a four-year High Honor Roll student and was a member of National Honor Society (NHS) and the Sports Leadership council. She enjoys hiking, biking and walking through the woods in her spare time.

Braegelmann's comments: "Ainsley is an extremely hard worker who has a passion for the game of volleyball. A multi-sport athlete, playing soccer as well, who is quick, reads attackers well and is driven to succeed. Ainsley is a good communicator and leader and will bring some good depth to our team. She plays with a contagious positive energy on the floor and is a consistent player."

Sauk Prairie head coach Amy Schlimegen's comments: "Ainsley is the epitome of a great team player and captain. She gives 100% effort 100% of the time – as a player and as a leader. Her teammates rely on her immensely! She has very high volleyball IQ and is a great communicator on the court. She is essential to our successes."

Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton)

Foley impressed in her high school career at Sergeant Bluff-Luton, earning First Team All-Conference, All-District, All-State and Academic All-Conference honors multiple times throughout her career. As a four-year letter winner, Foley holds the school record in single-match kills and aces and broke the record for career kills in early October of her senior year. That same season, Foley led her team to its first ever state title and was named captain of the All-State Tournament Team. Additionally, the outside hitter has excelled both on the basketball court and the softball field, earning First Team All-Conference honors in both sports.

Off the court, Foley is a part of the President's Education Award Program, earning Outstanding Academic Excellence for her academic achievements. She is currently undecided on her major at St. Cloud State and lists Kerri Walsh Jennings as her favorite athlete.

Braegelmann's comments: "Kenzie is another multi-sport athlete as she plays basketball and softball as well. She has a heavy arm, the ability to score points swinging out of the front row and back row, sees the floor well and can play six rotations with her back row skills. She is a competitor who has helped her club team play well at nationals and has made deep runs with her high school sport teams as well."

Sergeant Bluff-Luton head coach Renee Winkel's comments: "Kenzie is an explosive player who combines her high volleyball IQ and heavy arm swing to terminate rallies. Her ball control and ability to read on defense make it look easy. She's a fierce competitor who brings a lot of energy on the court with her passion for her teammates and the game."

Morgan Goettlicher (Le Sueur, Minn. / Le Sueur-Henderson)

A dual sport athlete, Goettlicher put together an impressive volleyball career at Le Sueur-Henderson. As a senior, Goettlicher led the Giants to the Section Championship after winning the Class AA Subsection Championship in late October and was named to the All-Conference team. She led her teams in kills multiple times throughout the 2019 high school season, allowing her to break the school record for single season kills as one of the most dominant hitters in the conference.

Braegelmann's comments: "Morgan brings some versatility to us here at St. Cloud State as she has extensive experience at all three front row positions. She's a physical player that can play above the net, hits the ball hard and can be a blocking force. We plan to get Morgan comfortable playing on both the right side and middle and are excited to see how she grows and develops competing at this level."

Le Sueur-Henderson head coach Stacey Feser's comments: "Morgan has been our go-to player all year long when we need to score. Her leadership and confidence to carry the team in these situations has propelled us in many of our wins this year."

Makena Hollman (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola)

A middle blocker from Osceola, Wisconsin, Hollman earned multiple accolades during her high school career. A three-time varsity letter winner, Hollman earned First Team All-Conference honors in 2018 and led the Chieftains to the WIAA Middle Border Conference Championship this past season. She also garnered Second Team All-State honors for her play. Off the court, Hollman is a four-year "A" honor roll student and a three-year member of NHS.

Braegelmann's comments: "Makena will bring some much needed depth to the middle blocker position with the graduation of Marah Mulso and Halle Hughes. Makena is an athletic middle who can play fast pin to pin, reaches high and works hard to transition and be available to swing. She blocks well and does a good job of getting her hands over the net."

Kokoro coach Corey Phelps' comments: "Makena is a delight to coach. She is very driven and has high expectations of herself, but there is a refreshing humility to her competitiveness. She is a fantastic team player and does what she can to motivate and help her team play at a consistently high level. She is easily one of the most coachable athletes I've had the pleasure to work with. All of those attributes and many more have me convinced that she has great things ahead of her. I'm excited to see how far she can go!"

Allena Shimon (Des Moines, Iowa / Dowling Catholic)

Shimon joins that Huskies after a standout high school career with Dowling Catholic in Des Moines, Iowa. A four-year letter winner in volleyball, Shimon earned Second Team All-Conference honors for her play on the court her sophomore and junior seasons and First Team honors as a senior after recording the 2000^th career of her assist in late September. Additionally, Shimon participated and lettered in track and field during her career at Dowling Catholic and led her volleyball club team to nationals and her high school team to multiple state tournament appearances.

Braegelmann's comments: "Allena is a very athletic setter who gets to the volleyball with her speed and can deliver a good hittable ball to all three front row positions. Allena plays with a contagious energy on the floor, defends well and gets all of her teammates involved by varying her sets."

IPVA coach Johnny Sneiderman's comments: "Allena was a joy to have all club season. Her ability to intellectually play the game and work the mechanics of my system propelled our team into a deep run at nationals. There are so many intangibles she offers her team and I feel honored to have been one of her coaches and helped her in her recruiting process. She will accomplish many great things."

Saint Cloud State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Halle Hughes

Marah Mulso

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