Volleyball opens season at Keweenaw Tournament

Thursday, September 2

Houghton, Mich.

5 p.m. EST

St. Cloud State

1-0

UW-Parkside

0-1

St Cloud State

Parkside

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

9/1/2021 5:31:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

HOUGHTON, MICH. - The much anticipated start for the St. Cloud State University volleyball team is finally here. After missing out on the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Huskies are making their official return to the court, as they open the 2021 season at the Keweenaw Tournament, hosted by Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan.

St. Cloud State will play in five matches over the course of the three day tournament, including the season opener against UW-Parkside at 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 2. The Huskies will also face (RV) Northern Michigan and (RV) Michigan Tech on Friday before facing Lake Superior State Saturday morning to close the tournament.

Live stats will be available for all five matches, and all five matches will be streamed on the KVSC Sports Stream. St. Cloud State's match against Michigan Tech will also be live streamed, and fans can follow the Huskies on Twitter (@scsuhuskeis_vb) for in match updates.

Here are the five things to know before St. Cloud State's trip to the Keweenaw Tournament:

16 - The Huskies were ranked #16 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll, marking the seventh time in program history St. Cloud State was ranked in the organization's preseason poll. It also marks the first fall preseason ranking for the Huskies since 1997, when were ranked #21 in the AVCA preseason poll. St. Cloud State was ranked #10 in the AVCA 2020-21 spring season poll but did not compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RV - The Huskies will not play a ranked opponent while in Michigan, but they will play two of the top teams in the country over the weekend. Both Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech received votes in the AVCA preseason poll, and both have been ranked in the top-25 multiple times since 2019. In fact, unranked St. Cloud State upended the #21 Huskies 3-1 (25-19, 27-25, 19-25, 25-18) the last time the two teams squared off at the Huskies Volleyball Invite in 2019.

4 - Four St. Cloud State Huskies tallied 10+ kills in the 3-1 victory over Michigan Tech in 2019, including current senior Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake). The outside tallied a team-leading 17 kills on 45 attempts and additionally added 25 digs in the four-set marathon, accounting for 18 St. Cloud State points. Former Huskies Chloe Dousette, Marah Mulso and Erin Navratil also tallied 10+ kills in the match, while Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) piloted the offense with 54 assists.

2006 - St. Cloud State and Northern Michigan have squared off six times since 2006, with the Wildcats holding the upper hand in those six matches. In fact, the Huskies are looking for their first victory over Northern Michigan in 15 seasons, as the Wildcats hold a 6-0 record against St. Cloud State in that time span. The teams last met in 2018 when Northern State earned a 3-1 (25-15, 25-23, 25-22, 26-24) win over the Huskies.

10 - St. Cloud State holds a combined 10-3 record against UW-Parkside and Lake Superior State. The Huskies are currently riding an eight match win-streak against the Lakers, including a straight set win in 2019, and have one two of their last four contests against the Rangers.

Live stream links:

September 2, 2021: St. Cloud State vs. UW-Parkside
Live stats

September 3, 2021: St. Cloud State vs. Northern Michigan
Live Stats

September 3, 2021: St. Cloud State vs. Michigan Tech
Live Stats Video

September 4, 2021: St. Cloud State vs. Lake Superior State
Live Stats