St. Cloud State
6-3,2-0NSIC
Wayne State
7-2,1-1NSIC
Volleyball upends #5 Wayne State 3-1
9/18/2021 4:38:00 PM | Volleyball
#23 Huskies hit .300 as a team with 14 total blocks
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The No. 23 St. Cloud State University volleyball has found the recipe to success: an ace here. A dash of blocks there. And of course, a whole lot of kills from every position on the court.
Yes, nationally ranked St. Cloud State improved to 2-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play and earned its first win over a nationally ranked opponent by taking down No. 5 Wayne State College. With a home crowd behind them, the Huskies routed the visiting Wildcats 3-1 (25-11, 25-20, 18-25, 25-18), improving to 7-3 overall and 2-0 in NSIC play.
#5 WHO?
St. Cloud State was not intimidated by nationally ranked Wayne State, which entered Saturday afternoon's contest with an overall record of 7-1 and a 1-0 mark in conference play. The Wildcats were, in fact, coming off their best week of the season, as they beat the No. 2, No. 5, No. 9 and No. 16 teams in the country over a span of seven days. The Huskies, meanwhile, were seemingly reeling, as they needed five sets to defeat unranked Augustana to open league play Friday.
Apparently, St. Cloud State didn't get the memo it was the underdog in the contest, as the Huskies jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a dominant 25-11 first set victory. The home team then made it 2-0, as St. Cloud State hung on to take set two 25-20 for a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Wayne State wasn't going to hand the Huskies any victories, even though everything seemed to be rolling St. Cloud State's way early in the third set. After jumping ahead 8-3, the momentum swung dramatically in the Wildcats favor, as they won seven consecutive points to take a commanding 13-9 lead in the set. Though St. Cloud State managed to close the gap to two points multiple times during the set, the team was never able to catch Wayne State.
The visitors took the third set 25-18, and suddenly, everything seemed to be flowing in Wayne State's favor. Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake), Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) quickly put a stop to that in set four. Thanks to the recipe of ace, block, kill, the Huskies took an 8-4 lead early in the set. It was a lead St. Cloud State would never relinquish, as a kill from Foley, her 22nd of the night, clinched the set win at 25-18 and match by final score of 3-1.
TOP HUSKIES
- Sophomore outside Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) continued to troll NSIC defenses, as she tallied yet another 20+ kill performance against Wayne State. Foley recorded a team-high 22 kills Saturday afternoon and committed just six errors for an impressive .362 hitting percentage.
- The Huskies defensive prowess was on full display Saturday afternoon, both at the net and behind the ten-foot line. St. Cloud State recorded an impressive 28 block assists against the Wildcats, including 10 from junior middle blocker Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens). Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) led the team in digs, as she recorded yet another double-double with 16 kills and 17 digs.
- We would be remiss to not mention fifth-year setter Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy), who piloted the Huskies to a .300 team hitting percentage with another 50+ assist performance. The veteran setter recorded 51 assists in the four-set victory, bringing her weekend total to 101.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Actually, the St. Cloud State blockers can. The Huskies once again recorded 10+ blocks in the victory over Wayne State, as they recorded 28 block assists for 14 total blocks. Already fourth all-time in single-match blocks, Rossi now additionally ranked seventh (11 vs. Augustana) and eighth (10 vs. Wayne State) in the category and is one of two student-athletes to record multi 10+ block performances in their career.
DIG IT!
Yes, St. Cloud State turned heads with its high-powered offense on Saturday, but the team's defense also put on a clinic. In addition to Rachel, three other Huskies recorded 10+ dig performances to help hold the visiting Wildcats to a .181 team hitting percentage. Foley clocked 13 digs to go with her 22 kills, libero Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake) recorded 12 and right side Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) added 11.
QUOTABLES
St. Cloud State Volleyball Head Coach Chad Braegelmann:
UP NEXT
The Huskies are due for another big week of NSIC play, as they play three NSIC matches in five days. St. Cloud State will open the week with a road match against Bemidji State on Tuesday, with first serve slated for 6:00 p.m. in Bemidji, Minnesota.
