St. Cloud State
22-4,17-1NSIC
Southwest Minnesota State
19-7,11-7NSIC
Volleyball wrangles Mustangs in 3-1 win
11/6/2021 4:45:00 PM | Volleyball
#12 Huskies clinch at least share of NSIC title with the victory
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The St. Cloud State University volleyball team is used to doing the unexpected. The #12 Huskies have spent the last two (real) seasons proving the doubters wrong, doing exactly what they weren't supposed to do. In the final home match of the 2021 regular season, St. Cloud State once again did the thing it wasn't supposed to do: clinch a share of the conference title. Thanks to its 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 17-25, 25-17) victory over #14 Southwest Minnesota State, the Huskies improved to 22-4 and 17-1 in conference play and, more importantly, clinched at least a share of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) title.
WRANGLE 'EM UP
St. Cloud State wasted no time setting the tone in the first set, as the Huskies took an early 3-0 lead on two aces by Abigail Groenweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake). SMSU also struggled to handle the power of outsides Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) and Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake). The duo combined for nine kills in the opening set, six by Foley and three by Rachel, to power St. Coud State's offense to a 25-17 first set victory.
The Huskies continued to cruise in set #2, earning a 25-21 win to go up 2-0 in the set. Foley again was the team's top hitter in the set, adding four kills to her already impressive total to average 5.0 kills in the first two sets. Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) was also a force at the net, tallying 2.0 total blocks in the set and nabbing several more touches, giving Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Chrisitan Academy) plenty of time and amo to set up the team's offense.
The Mustangs had other ideas about the third set. SMSU used St. Cloud State's game plan against it, as tough serving and stingy defense resulted in a 25-17 Mustangs win in the third set. The Huskies, though, weren't about to let the match go five sets, as they set the tone early in the set, jumping to a 12-5 lead, before cruising to a 25-17 victory on a kill by Rossi.
TOP HUSKIES
- Linsey Rachel's (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) stat line was mind boggling Saturday afternoon. The senior outside led the match with 19 kills all while tallying 12 digs and a season-high four block assists in the win. Fellow outside Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) closed the match with a team-leading 15 digs and 12 kills.
- Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) continued to dominate at the net thanks to her 12 (2 solo, 10 assist) blocks.
- Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) closed the match with 44 assists and 10 digs for a double-double.
PARTY LIKE IT'S 1982
With the win, the Huskies clinched at least a share of the NSIC title and has the chance to win it outright next weekend when they face Wayne State and Augustana. It ends the team's 39 year drought, as St. Cloud State had not won a conference title in volleyball since the 1982 season when it was still a member of the Northern Sun Conference (NSC).
GIVE ME AN X, GIVE ME AN O, GIVE ME 12 IN A ROW
Not to be missed in all the excitement, the Huskies won their 12th consecutive match Saturday afternoon, marking the longest win streak since the 1985 season. That year, St. Cloud State won 14 consecutive matches, which counts as the school record for longest win streak. Additionally, the 12-match win streak counts as the longest in the Chad Braegelmann era, as the Huskies won 11 consecutive matches to open the season back in 2019.
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State will conclude its 2019 season on the road next weekend, as the team travels to face #13 Wayne State and Augustana. The Huskies will face the Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. CT on Friday before closing 2021 against the Vikings at 2:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
