St. Cloud State
2-0
Northern Michigan
1-1
Huskies manage Michigan foes on second day at Keweenaw Classic
9/3/2021 9:59:00 PM | Volleyball
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The state of Michigan may consider closing its doors to the St. Cloud State University volleyball team. The #16 Huskies took down two of the state's top Division II programs, Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University, on the second day of the Keweenaw Classic in Houghton, Michigan. St. Cloud State opened the day with a resounding 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-21) win over (RV) Northern Michigan before rallying for a 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13) victory over hosts Michigan Tech to close the day.
NO WILDCAT OPTION
St. Cloud State dominated in the first two sets against Northern Michigan but ran into some issues at the start of the third. After earning 25-16 and 25-17 wins in the first two sets, the Huskies fell behind 6-1 early in the third due to strong serving by the Wildcats. Back-to-back kills from Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) jolted St. Cloud State's offense back to life, and the Huskies slowly but surely whittled away at Northern Michigan's lead before evening the set at 20 all. St. Cloud State then took a 21-20 lead thanks to a kill from Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) before Bella Erne (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) sealed the 25-21 win with three set kills, helping the Huskies earn their second 3-0 sweep in as many games.
THE DOG FIGHT
St. Cloud State's second match of the day told a much different story, but the team prevailed for its biggest win (thus far) of the 2021 season. The Huskies squared off against the Huskies in a rematch of the 2019 match that put the St. Cloud State Huskies on the map. Back then, Michigan Tech was the top-25 team, and St. Cloud State the upset minded underdog. In 2021, the tides were turned, and the result almost did as well. After falling behind 2-1, the #16 Huskies faced adversity for the first time all season. St. Cloud State needed to win the fourth set to force the decisive fifth, as the team did just that, winning seven consecutive points to win the set 25-18. The Huskies then wasted no time jumping out to a 7-4 lead in the fifth and extended their lead to 12-8 before a Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) kill won the set 15-13 and the match 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13).
TOP HUSKIES
- Senior outside Linsey Rachel's (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) dominance was nothing short of impressive against Northern Michigan, as she recorded her first double-double of the 2021 season and the 40th of her St. Cloud State career. The senior led the Huskies in kills (14) and digs (15) against Northern Michigan and posted her second double-double of the season with a 16 kill, 15 dig performance against Michigan Tech.
- Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) was touted as one of the best offensive players in the Midwest when she signed with the Huskies in 2019. On Friday, the sophomore's defensive prowess was on full display, as she tallied a career-high 25 digs in the Huskies 3-2 win over Michigan Tech.
- It was no secret Maddy Torve's (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) decision to return for her extra year was a big deal for St. Cloud State, and on Saturday, the fifth year senior proved why. Torve tallied a career-high 60 assists in the Huskies 3-2 win over Michigan Tech and made a little history along the way (see: We Love you 3000). Torve, though, was also key to St. Cloud State's second, fourth and fifth set wins against the (other) Huskies, as she guided the hitters to .326, .450 and .304 hitting percentage in those three sets alone.
WE LOVE YOU 3000
- With her 28th assist of the night against Michigan Tech, Torve became just the fourth setter in program history to eclipse the 3000 career assist mark. The fifth year senior is the first setter to achieve the milestone in 10 seasons and the first to do so since Jennifer Waterman back in 2011. Torve now has 3032 assists in her career as a Husky.
SEEING DOUBLE
- Rachel recorded the 40th and 41st double-doubles of her St. Cloud State career against Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, becoming just the third player in program history to reach the impressive milestone. Rachel currently ranks third all-time in career double-doubles behind all-time greats Cami Selbitschka (46) and Leah Herrbolt (47).
QUOTABLES
St. Cloud State Volleyball Head Coach Chad Braegelmann on Northern Michigan:
"It was a great team win against a very good team. We had pretty good balance offensively, and Maddy [Torve] did a good job of getting our hitter one-on-one as well. Northern Michigan has a lot of attackers that can score, and I thought we did a solid job of slowing them down. We didn't block as well as we did against Parkside, but we served and passed really well, minus a small stretch of 10 points in the third set. Linsey Rachel scored at a high level and recorded a double-double with her 15 digs as well."
St. Cloud State Volleyball Head Coach Chad Braegelmann on Michigan Tech:
"It was literally a dog fight tonight with Michigan Tech playing some great defense! I thought they passed extremely well, and we had a hard time slowing their offense down. [Michigan Tech] limited its errors and put a ton of pressure on us defensively. It was a fun match to play, and I'm really proud of the way our women battled back in the fourth set and closed it out in the fifth. Hats off to Michigan Tech. That was a great match played by a veteran team."
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State will face Lake Superior State University in its final match of the Keweenaw Classic. The match is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. in Houghton, Michigan.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
