St. Cloud State
14-4,9-1NSIC
Mary
3-16,0-10NSIC
Huskies capsize Marauders in 3-1 win
10/15/2021 8:36:00 PM | Volleyball
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The St. Cloud State University volleyball team knows how to kick off a homecoming weekend. The Huskies absolutely dominated in their match against the University of Mary, taking down the Marauders 3-1 (25-13, 25-18, 19-25, 25-9) to improve to 14-4 overall with a 9-1 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play. The win also officially kicked off St. Cloud State's weekend festivities for Homecoming, which runs from October 13-17 on the Huskies campus.
HOMECOMING "W"
St. Cloud State had the honor of officially kicking off the Homecoming action with their Friday match against Mary, and the #14 team in the country could not have asked for a better start to the weekend. The Huskies rolled to an early 2-0 lead in the set, fueled by powerful performances from Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) and Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake). The duo was near perfect from the floor in the opening sets, leading St. Cloud State to 25-13 and 25-18 victories with eight and seven kills a piece.
The Huskies hit a bit of a minor road bump in set three, as the Marauders forced a fourth set with a 25-19 victory. As a result, St. Cloud State decided to make a statement in the following set, cruising to an early 8-3 lead on a beautiful ace by Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater). The Huskies then proceeded to dominate in every facet of the game, winning the set 25-9 on a kill by Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) to take the match 3-1 (25-13, 25-18, 19-25, 25-9).
TOP HUSKIES
- Senior outside Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) was practically perfect in every way Friday evening, wracking up a team-leading 18 kills, which paired perfectly with her 18 digs.
- Both Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) and Bella Erne (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) recorded double-digit kills for St. Cloud State with 11 and 10 respectively. Rossi additionally led the team with a .474 hitting percentage and eight blocks, including five solo.
- Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) crept ever closer to the 4000 assists mark with 34 against the Marauders Friday evening.
- Junior libero Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake) recorded 20+ digs for the second consecutive match, tying her season and career-high with 21 against Mary.
LUCKY NO. 14
Fourteen is a very popular number for St. Cloud State at the moment. In addition to being the #14 team in the nation, the Huskies noticed win No. 14 this season with their 3-1 win over the Marauders. All time, St. Cloud State is 14-7 and is currently riding a five-match win streak against Mary.
FIRST LOOKS
Three Huskies made their Halenbeck Hall debuts Friday night: Elle Scarborough (Glenwood, Iowa / Glenwood), Allena Shimon (Des Moines, Iowa / Dowling Catholic) and Natalie Tesch (Milwaukee, Wis. / Wisconsin Lutheran). After Torve, Shimon was second on the team with seven, while Tesch recorded four in her home match debut. Elle Scarborough finished the night with one kill, two block assists and two digs.
UP NEXT
Homecoming continues for St. Cloud State, as the team is set to host Minot State at 2:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, October 16. The match will serve as the Huskies annual Dig Pink match, as they look to raise $1500 for breast cancer awareness and research. Fans can donate either during the match or on the team's Sideout Foundation page.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
