St. Cloud State
20-4,15-1NSIC
Bemidji State
2-22,2-14NSIC
Volleyball traps Beavers in sweep
11/2/2021 8:04:00 PM | Volleyball
#12 Huskies earn 20th win of 2021
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The St. Cloud State University volleyball team kicked off the month of November in the best way possible: with a win. The #12 Huskies did not mess around in Tuesday's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match against Bemidji State. St. Cloud State earned a resounding 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-14) win over the visiting Beavers, improving to 20-4 overall with a 15-1 mark in NSIC play.
DAM = BUILT
There was no sputtering. No need for warm up points. The Huskies were the best team on the court from start to finish, cruising to a 13-1 lead in the opening set thanks to outstanding serving from junior libero Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake). Groeneweg's dominant float serve took Bemidji State out of system and allowed hitters Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) and Allison Naughton (Des Moines, Iowa / Dowling Catholic) to dictate much of the set. In fact, the Huskies entire line up was in command, as their defense surrendered just 11 points to Bemidji State in the opening set, before Rachel sealed the 25-11 victory with her seventh kill of the set.
The 25-11 set one victory set the tone for sets two and three, as St. Cloud State cruised to a 25-15 win in the second set. Again, Rachel was completely dominant from the outside, as was junior middle blocker Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens), which allowed the Huskies to win the set with ease. The team was just as good, if not better, in set three. St. Cloud State took a 7-1 lead in the set and never looked back, winning the set 25-14 to its third straight sweep over a NSIC opponent.
TOP HUSKIES
- Senior outside Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) once again led the match in kills, closing the three-setter with 15 kills on 28 swings for a .464 hitting percentage. The senior has recorded double-digit kills in five consecutive matches dating back to October 22 and hit over .300 in all but one of those matches.
- Fifth year setter Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) closed the match with 41 assists and led the Huskies to a .411 hitting percentage.
- Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake) and Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) were the lone St. Cloud State student-athletes to record double-digit digs against the Beavers. Groeneweg closed the match with a team-leading 14 while Houle added 10 respectively.
SWEEPIN' UP OPPONENTS
The Huskies have defeated their opponents in straight sets in four of their last six matches, including three consecutive against (RV) Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota-Crookston and Bemidji State. In fact, St. Cloud State has won nine of its 24 matches in straight sets in 2021, six of which have been in NSIC play.
RECORD WATCH
Torve continues to be on record watch as the Huskies enter the final two weekends of the regular season. With her 44 assist performance against the Beavers, the fifth year setter's career assist total moved to 3859, which is 150 assists away from the 4000 career assists mark. She also eclipsed the 1000 assist mark this season, becoming the first player since Jennifer Waterman (2008, 2009) to record 1000+ assists in back-to-back seasons.
TWENTY FOR THE WIN
With the win over Bemidji State, St. Cloud State improves to 20-4 overall with a 15-1 mark in NSIC play. This marks the first time the Huskies have recorded back-to-back 20 win seasons since 1995 and 1996, when Diane Glowatzke was at the helm. Additionally, the Huskies won their 15th win in NSIC play, matching their conference win total from 2019.
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State continues its homestand this upcoming Friday and Saturday, as the team is set to host Sioux Falls and #14 SMSU. First serve on Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT, while Saturday's match is slated to start at 2:00 p.m. CT
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
