St. Cloud State
17-4,12-1NSIC
Minnesota State-Moorhead
3-18,3-10NSIC
Huskies slay Dragons 3-1
10/23/2021 6:07:00 PM | Volleyball
St. Cloud State moves to a tie for first in the NSIC with a 12-1 record
MOORHEAD, Minn. – They came. They saw. They conquered.
The St. Cloud State University volleyball team has been virtually unbeatable in the month of October, and that certainly didn't change in Saturday afternoon's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match against MSU-Moorhead. The #13 Huskies wasted no time proving their dominance and extended their win streak to seven consecutive matches with a 3-1 (25-13, 29-27, 19-25, 25-21) win over the Dragons.
HOW TO TRAIN THE DRAGON
St. Cloud State knew exactly how to answer that question in the first set, as the Huskies took the opener 25-13 for a 1-0 lead in the match. The formula was pretty simple. Pass the ball and set to either Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton), Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) or Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens). The trio was virtually unstoppable in the first set, exposing many of MSU-Moorhead's weaknesses en route to the quick victory.
Things were very different in the second and third sets, as St. Cloud State struggled in the early onset of both sets. In fact, the Huskies had to overcome several deficits, including a 23-21 Dragon advantage late in the second. Foley and Rachel took matters into their own hands, rallying to tie the set 23-23 before Rachel clinched the 29-27 win with a monster kill from the outside.
MSU-Moorhead won the third set 25-19, forcing the Huskies into a quick reset before a dominating fourth set performance. Thanks to a long serving run by Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater), St. Cloud State built itself a 20-15 cushion. While the Dragons battled, the Huskies firepower was simply too much, as Rachel dismantled any thoughts of a comeback, winning the set 25-21 with her 14th kill of the night and securing the 3-1 victory.
TOP HUSKIES
- Sophomore outside Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) led the Huskies in kills for the second time this weekend, tallying 17 total on 41 attempts. She additionally recorded 14 digs for her second double-double of the weekend.
- Senior outside Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) and junior middle blocker Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) each tallied 14 kills for St. Coud State and hit well over .300. Rachel hit .355 from the outside, while Rossi led the team with a .458 kill percentage out of the middle.
- Junior libero Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake) led the Huskies with 19 digs and three aces Saturday afternoon.
- Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) recorded 50+ assists for the second time this weekend, closing the four set match with 51.
LEGEND OF FOLEY
Foley's lethalness was once again on display Saturday afternoon, as she led the match with 17 kills and added 14 digs for a double-double. This season, Foley has tallied double-digits kills in 16 of the Huskies 21 matches and has recorded four 20+ kill performances. The last Husky to do that was none other than current senior Rachel, who put up similar numbers in her first season with St. Cloud State back in 2018.
ONE IS A BIT CROWDED
Concordia-St. Paul has some company atop the conference. Thanks to a Huskies win and the Golden Bears loss to SMSU, St. Cloud State and Concordia-St. Paul now sit in a tie for first place in the NSIC standings with identical 12-1 records. The 12-1 start is the best for the Huskies since rejoining the conference in 2008 and the first place tie is the highest the team has ever fallen in the standings through 13 matches.
UP NEXT
An old foe awaits St. Cloud State in its next match, as the Huskies are set to face (RV) Minnesota-Duluth on Thursday, October 28. First serve for the match is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT in Duluth, Minnesota.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
