St. Cloud State
24-4,19-1NSIC
Augustana
18-10,13-7NSIC
Volleyball closes regular season with 3-1 win at Augie
11/13/2021 9:07:00 PM | Volleyball
#11 Huskies enter NSIC tournament with a 24-4 overall and 19-1 NSIC record
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – What if I told you a team that went 1-19 in 2014 would go 19-1 seven years later to finish atop the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), widely considered one of the toughest conferences in collegiate volleyball?
What if I told you that team is the St. Cloud State University Huskies? Thanks to a 3-1 (26-24, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21) win over Augustana University Saturday afternoon, it is. In seven years, St. Cloud State has transformed from the worst team in the NSIC to the very best, securing its No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and a program record 19 wins in NSIC play with its Saturday road win over Augustana.
SLUGFEST FOR THE AGES
Like the previous 18 wins the Huskies earned this season, No. 19 was certainly not easy to come by. St. Cloud State had to defeat a defensively tenacious Vikings team who was playing to secure their spot in the NSIC Tournament. Early on, Augustana looked like the better team, using gritty play on defense to take away gimme kills for the Huskies. St. Cloud State, though, battled, eventually winning the opener 26-24 on back-to-back kills by Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens).
The second set is one the Huskies would rather forget. After regaining all the momentum at the end of the first, St. Cloud State quickly lost it, as the Vikings roared ahead to the early 10-4 lead and eventually lead 22-16 late in the set. The Huskies then proceeded to win six of the next seven points, cutting the Augustana lead to 23-22. The Vikings, though, would win the set 25-22, evening the match at 1-1.
St. Cloud State righted the ship in the third set, winning in dominant fashion 25-15 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. That was all the Huskies needed to swing things back in their favor. Though Augustana put up a fight, St. Cloud State's fire power proved to be too much, as the Huskies took the fourth set 25-21 to win the match 3-1.
TOP HUSKIES
- Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) had a day for St. Cloud State. The sophomore recorded 20+ kills for the fifth time this season, closing the four-set match with a team-leading 20 kills and 18 digs. Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) also recorded 20 kills against the Vikings, marking the first time in 20 years two hitters recorded 20+ kills in the same match.
- Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) closed the regular season with a 52 assist performance, while Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) recorded 12 blocks (1 solo, 11 assist) and 12 kills for the double-double.
FROM 1-19 TO 19-1
In 2014, St. Cloud State was the worst team in the NSIC, posting a 1-19 record in conference play. Chad Braegelmann was hired as head coach in the immediate off season and he, along with Associate Head Coach Marci Taumalolo, brought the program to new heights. In just seven years, Braegelmann and Taumalolo turned the Huskies from cellar dweller to the top team in the NSIC, as the team has now qualified for the conference tournament in back-to-back seasons and won the NSIC Regular Season title outright this season. Braegelmann also became the first coach in program history to defeat every team in the NSIC earlier this season thanks to St. Cloud State's 3-2 road win over Northern State.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Chad Braegelmann after the Huskies win over Augustana:
"Marci and I are so proud of this team and their toughness and consistency over the entire regular season. We have some women who have been here a while and helped take this program from not even playing in the NSIC tournament to NSIC Champions. It is extremely difficult to have success in one of the toughest conferences in Division II volleyball. Augustana was fantastic on defense and was so aggressive offensively. It was a fun match. A real slugfest."
UP NEXT
The Huskies are Sioux Falls bound, as they clinched the No. 1 seed in the NSIC tournament with their weekend sweep of Wayne State and Augustana. St. Cloud State will open the tournament on Thursday, November 18 against SMSU, who clinched the final spot in the NSIC tournament Saturday afternoon. More information regarding the tournament, including match times and ticket prices, will be available later in the week.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
