St. Cloud State
26-4,19-1NSIC
Wayne State
22-8,14-6NSIC
Huskies advance to NSIC Championship with 3-2 win over Wildcats
11/19/2021 10:59:00 PM | Volleyball
#11 St. Cloud State hits .347 with 76 kills in the match
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The St. Cloud State University volleyball team is headed to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament Championship match.
The Huskies needed everything they had in their NSIC Semifinal match against #15 Wayne State: a tactical strategy and two cannons simply weren't enough. St. Cloud State needed strong defensive play, five sets and a comeback to defeat the upset-minded Wildcats and make its second consecutive trip to the NSIC Championship match. After falling behind 2-1, the Huskies forced the fifth set with a 25-19 fourth set win before dominance allowed St. Cloud State to take the fifth set 15-9 and the match 3-2 (24-26, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 15-9).
DOGS VS. CATS ROUND THREE
It was the tail of two halves for the Huskies in the opener, as they fell to the Wildcats 26-24 to go down 1-0 in the match. Early on, though, it looked like St. Cloud State would cruise to another easy victory, as the team took an early 4-0 lead before jumping ahead 6-2 in the set. Wayne State, though, would simply not go away, as the Wildcats stingy defense and timely hitting allowed them to cut the lead to 20-20 before taking a 25-24 lead late in the set. Taya Beller gave Wayne State the early 1-0 advantage, sealing the 26-24 win with a kill from the outside.
St. Cloud State stormed back in the second set, evening the match at 1-1 with a dominant 25-18 victory. Again, the Huskies led from start to finish, using their explosive offensive to jump out to a 7-2 lead they would never relinquish. Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) was particularly destructive, using her cannon of an arm to surpass the 10 kill threshold early in the set. The middle slide was also an effective play for St. Cloud State, as the team closed the set with a particularly beautiful slide by Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens).
The third set was highlighted by some small controversy surrounding the ins and outs of volleyball, as the Huskies and Wildcats traded the first 16 points, resulting in an 8-8 tie. The two teams remained deadlocked in a 12-12 draw, as neither was able to gain any real momentum. In the end, it was Wayne State's tough serving that won the set, forcing St. Cloud State out of system multiple times in the closing points before taking set three 25-21.
The Huskies looked again like the dominant team again in set four, until the Wildcats serve again made things interesting. As St. Cloud State struggled to receive, Wayne State found itself back in the set even though the Huskies took the early 3-0 lead. Still, St. Cloud State kept pace with the Wildcats, and again, the two teams traded points. Back and forth. Back and forth until the Huskies raced ahead to a 16-9 lead on the serve of Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake). The team then jumped ahead 19-11 before a small run by Wayne State cut the lead to 19-15 midway through the fourth.
St. Cloud State won the fourth set 25-19, forcing the fifth with Bella Erne's (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) 13th kill of the match. The team then proceeded to absolutely destroy the Wildcats in the fifth set, earning a 15-9 win on a Wayne State hitting error to clinch the match 3-2 (24-26, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 15-9).
TOP HUSKIES
- Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) was unstoppable Friday evening, as she went off for 24 kills on 50 swings with just eight errors to hit .320 in the match. The sophomore outside additionally added 16 digs and three block assists, accounting for 25.5 points Friday night.
- Fellow outside Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) gave the Wayne State defense no reprieve. The minute Foley went to the back row, she came to the front and put up spectacular numbers as well. Rachel tallied a twenty kill, twenty dig double-double, finishing the match with 21 kills and a team-leading 21 digs.
- Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) was gold once again for the Huskies, as she guided the team to a .347 hitting percentage against the Wildcats and 76 total kills. She closed the match with 67 assists, one off the career and season-high she set earlier this year.
- Bella Erne (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) and Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D.) finished the match with 13 kills a piece as they both hit well over .300 in the match. Erne hit .476 with 13 kills and five total blocks (1 solo, four assists), while Rossi concluded the match with a .353 hitting percentage and 11 block assists.
FOLEY AND RACHEL IN PRIME TIME
Outsides Foley and Rachel simply could not be stopped Friday evening, as they both tallied 20+ kills in the match and were equally as impressive on defense. It marks the second time in the last three matches both Foley and Rachel have recorded 20+ kills in the same match, while they both scored double-doubles with 16 and 21 digs respectively.
LOAD THE CANONS
Foley and Rachel weren't the only hitters on fire Friday nights. St. Cloud State recorded 76 kills in the match and hit .347 as a team. The .347 hitting percentage is the highest hitting percentage that Huskies have totalled in a five-set match, while the 76 kills are second to the 78 they recording in a 3-2 win over Sioux Falls earlier this year.
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State will face #8 Winona State in the NSIC Championship match on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT at The Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
