St. Cloud State
Northern State
Volleyball takes on Wolves, Dragons in NSIC play
10/21/2021 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. - It is time for another St. Cloud State University volleyball road trip. After hosting Mary and Minot State at home last weekend, the #13 Huskies hit the road for yet another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) series, as they will take on the always formidable (RV) Northern State and MSU-Moorhead this upcoming Friday and Saturday.
This weekend's matches kicks off a long road trip for St. Cloud State, which will play its next three consecutive matches on the road before returning to Halenbeck Hall. So far this season, the Huskies are 6-0 in road matches with wins over (RV) Michigan Tech, #5 SMSU and #9 Winona State and enter Friday's match against the Wolves riding a five-match win streak in NSIC play.
Friday's match against Northern State is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT in Aberdeen, South Dakota, while Saturday's match in Moorhead, Minnesota has been moved to 3:30 p.m. CT. Live stats and video will be available for both matches, and score updates will be made to the team's official Twitter account (@scsuhuskies_vb).
Here are the five things to know before this weekend's NSIC matches:
2012 - In September 2012, Perks of Being a Wallflower and Pitch Perfect were the top movies in theaters. T Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was the No. 1 hit on the radio. September 2012 was also the last time St. Cloud State beat Northern State in a volleyball match, specifically on September 15, 2012. The Huskies defeated the Wolves in five sets, winning the final set 23-21 to take the match 3-2 (25-14, 17-25, 16-25, 25-19, 23-21). Since the series started in 1996, the Huskies are 8-22 all-time against the Wolves, and Northern State is the lone NSIC team head coach Chad Braegelmann has not beaten since taking over the program in 2015.
2 - Unlike the Wolves, the Dragons have struggled so far this season, but enter the weekend riding quite the hot streak. MSU-Moorhead won its first two NSIC matches of the season on October 15 and 16, sweeping Minnesota-Crookston 3-0 and downing Bemidji State 3-1. The Dragons lost six consecutive matches, however, before taking down the Golden Eagles and Beavers last weekend, five of which they lost in straight sets.
4.33/4.17 - One may argue Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) had a quiet start to the 2021 season. The senior outside was anything but quiet against the Marauders and Beavers last weekend. Rachel hit a season best .467 over the course of two matches, averaging 4.33 kills and 4.17 digs per set. In the 3-1 win over Mary, the senior tallied 18 kills and 18 digs for her school-record 51st double-double before leading the team with eight kills against Minot State the following day.
.607/2.20 - Rachel wasn't the only hot hand against the Marauders and Beavers last weekend. Junior middle blocker Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) hit a blistering .607 against both team last weekend, tallying 19 kills on 28 swings with just two errors. She additionally recorded 11 blocks, a season-high six solo and five assists, over the weekend, leading the team with a 2.20 blocks/set average. Rossi currently ranks sixth in the NSIC in overall hitting percentage this season (.344) and third in blocks per set (1.21), and ranks fourth and third in both categories in conference play.
.43/.40 - If there's one area where St. Cloud State has been underappreciated, it's at the service line. The Huskies have wracked up 70 aces in NSIC play this season and average 1.59 per match in 2021. Leading the charge are Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) and Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake). The duo are currently averaging .43 and .40 aces per set this season and rank fifth and ninth in the conference in the category.
