Huskies go the distance, take down #25 Upper Iowa 3-2

Saturday, September 21

St. Cloud, Minn.

2 p.m.

St. Cloud State

10-0, 2-0NSIC

Upper Iowa

8-2, 0-2NSIC

Upper Iowa

St. Cloud State

The team celebrates Marah Mulso's solo block to force the fifth set against Upper Iowa.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

9/21/2019 5:51:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – No one said the sport of volleyball was easy. Add a tornado warning, humidity and a slippery court, and it can become downright impossible to play.

Not for the St. Cloud State University volleyball team.

It wasn't easy. It wasn't pretty, and it certainly didn't include ideal conditions, but the #19 Huskies stayed perfect with a huge 3-2 win over #25 Upper Iowa University Saturday afternoon. Despite falling behind 2-1 after three, St. Cloud State rallied in the fourth to force the fifth set, eventually earning its third win over a nationally ranked opponent with a 15-13 set five victory.

The Huskies managed to take the first set 26-24, as they and the Peacocks were evenly matched through the entire 50-point set. Any moment the team managed to take what seemed to be a substantial lead, the other would come roaring right back to tie things up. This happened multiple times, but the most crucial came in the latter stages of the set. After falling behind 24-22, St. Cloud State needed to fight off two set points in order to win the first. The Huskies did just that, as a ball handing error by Peacock setter Carlee Ketchum cut the lead to 24-23 before a kill from senior Marah Mulso (Marshall, Minn. / Marshall) tied things up at 24-24.

From there, back-to-back kills from Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany) cemented things for St. Cloud State, as the team took the first set 26-24 thanks to her outside domination. Things weren't so rosy in the second set, though, as Upper Iowa rallied to take it by a final score of 25-17.

The third set was similar to the fourth, minus the two game delays, first for court conditions and then for a tornado warning. With players slipping all over the floor, the Huskies and Peacocks were forced to break so it could be resurfaced. Then, with Upper Iowa ahead 20-19, the teams were forced to evacuate the gym, as St. Cloud the city was struck by a tornado warning.

After a nice 10 minute break, St. Cloud State and the Peacocks retook the court, but things were not going the Huskies way. Despite the "pseudo timeout", St. Cloud State struggled, as Upper Iowa took a 24-20 lead on strong serving from Kasey Brennan. The Huskies, though, were not about to go down without a fight, as they fought off three set points with strong serves by Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) before a kill from Anna Winter clinched the set for the Peacocks 25-23.

The end of the third seemed to put a jolt in St. Cloud State's steps, as the team again rallied to take the fourth 26-24 and force the decisive fifth set. However, things again were not looking good for the Huskies in the latter stages of the set, as the Peacocks jumped head 24-21 despite trailing 20-17. However, St. Cloud State demonstrated resilience unlike any other and dramatically chipped away at Upper Iowa's lead. First, a ball handling error by Ketchum cut the lead to 24-22 before a strong serve from Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) forced the Peacocks out of rotation and made it 24-23 Upper Iowa.

The Huskies had just one more match point to fight off, but the heart of all fans in Halenbeck Hall stopped as Houle's serve nicked the top of the net. Rather than roll back on St. Cloud State's side, Houle got the friendly bounce, as the ball stopped and fell on the Peacocks side of the net right in front of a diving player.

Two huge blocks cemented the 26-24 win for the Huskies, as Mulso and setter Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) formed quite a duo at the net. Still, St. Cloud State needed to win the fifth and final set to maintain its perfect record, and that is exactly what the team did. With libero Clara Krenz (Oakdale, Minn. / North St. Paul) flying all over the court defensively and Rachel pounding it from the outside, the Huskies never trailed in the final set and, with a monster kill from the reigning NSIC Freshman of the Year, won the set 15-13 and the match 3-2 (26-24, 17-25, 23-25, 26-24, 15-13).

Rachel was once again dominant, as she set a new career high in kills (26) and recorded her sixth double-double of the 2019 season. The sophomore tallied a team-leading 26 kills in the match with 20 digs to give her the double-double. Junior right side Chloe Dousette (St. Paul, Minn. / Cretin-Derham Hall) added 10 kills, while Bella Erne (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) and Mulso each recorded eight.

Torve was again outstanding as the setter with 48 assists in the marathon match and three kills of her own. Krenz closed her weekend with 23 digs, while Taylor Olstad (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan) added 12.

With the win, St. Cloud State's overall record improves to 10-0 and it opens the season with a perfect 2-0 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play. The Huskies schedule won't get any easier, as they are set to face Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 27.