No. 9 Huskies open 2022 campaign with St. Cloud State Invite

St. Cloud, Minn. – No. 9 St. Cloud State Volleyball begins their 2022 season with four matches at Halenbeck Hall as they play host to the St. Cloud State Invite. Opening Night features the Huskies colliding with RV Oklahoma Baptist at 6:00 p.m. CT on August 25 followed by a 5:30 p.m. CT match against Drury on Friday evening. SCSU closes out their weekend with a pair of matches against Seattle Pacific and RV Ashland on Saturday. Saturday's tilts are set for noon and 5:30 p.m. CT.

Broadcast Information
All four matches will be streamed on the NSIC Network. Live stats can be found at scsuhuskies.com

Huskies Primer
No. 9 St. Cloud State enters the season with the second-highest AVCA preseason rank in program history and was picked to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Huskies return three All-Americans, including the program's only two-time honoree in decorated outside hitter Linsey Rachel. A three-time All-NSIC honoree, Rachel opens her fourth collegiate season ranked fifth on the Huskies all-time kills list with 1251 and sixth in digs with 1198. She and reigning AVCA DII National Freshman of the Year Kenzie Foley form a formidable pairing on the outside, as the latter established a new program mark for first-year kills with 451. Foley finished fourth in the NSIC with 3.92 kills per set and hit .295, piling up 19 double-doubles as she added 3.04 digs per set. Fellow All-American Phebie Rossi anchored one of the best blocks in the country by leading the NSIC – and finishing sixth across all of DII – in blocks (160.0) while ranking fifth in hitting percentage at a .340 mark. Versatile right side Rachel Houle rounds out the Huskies' experienced core, having not missed a match in two seasons. Houle has played in 89 of 90 possible matches throughout her career, routinely ranking among the conference leaders in aces while occupying a critical role in one of the league's top defenses.

Last Time Out
The Huskies' historic 2021 campaign was cut short in the opening round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament as SCSU fell in four sets to Concordia-St. Paul. After a thrilling 31-29 win in the first, St. Cloud State combined to hit just .090 in the final three sets as their offense struggled to stay in system. AVCA DII Freshman of the Year Kenzie Foley led the Huskies with 20 kills on .275 hitting, adding 11 digs for a double-double, while Linsey Rachel and Phebie Rossi kicked in nine kills each. SCSU earned both the NSIC Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2021, going 27-5 overall and 19-1 in Northern Sun play and landing at No. 10 in the final AVCA Top-25 poll.

Scouting Oklahoma Baptist
Picked to win the Great American Conference in the 2022 Preseason Coaches Poll, Oklahoma Baptist enters the new season coming off a 23-4 campaign that saw them fall in a five-set heartbreaker to Arkansas Tech in the GAC Tournament Championship. The Bison have won 69 of their last 79 matches but have a great deal of offense to replace after graduating three of their top-five point-getters from a season ago. Right side Taneyah Brown (2.66 K/S, .287) anchors the returners while OBU brings back both middles – Audrey Poupard, who led the GAC in blocks with 110, and Avery Hellman (2.46 K/S, .297). Each of the three earned All-GAC honors in 2021.

Scouting Drury
Drury earned a first-place vote in the GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll and was picked to finish sixth, returning nine letterwinners but looking to replace nearly their entire offense. All-GLVC setter Chloe Rear (8.36 A/S, 1.53 K/S) creatively quarterbacks the Panther offense, having recorded 16 triple-doubles throughout her collegiate career. The Panthers finished the 2021 season third in the West Division of the GLVC and tied for seventh overall.

Scouting Seattle Pacific
Seattle Pacific begins a new era under first-year head coach Jason Rhine this weekend, picked to finish fifth in the GNAC. Preseason All-GNAC middle blocker Hannah Hair earned All-American honors after hitting .333 with 1.35 blocks per set, placing her second in the conference. The Huskies will be looking for revenge after falling in straight sets last season to the Falcons – a match in which Hair hit .632 and put down 14 kills while adding six blocks.

Scouting Ashland
Earning 12 of 13 first-place votes in the GMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Ashland was picked to repeat as South Division champions after going 18-13 and reaching the GMAC Tournament Championship game last season. The Eagles return six starters headlined by GMAC Player of the Year and Third-Team All-American Erin Krupar (4.58 K/S, .240). Krupar ranked third in DII with 5.09 points per set, landed second in kills with 504 and finished fifth in kills per set. Libero Katie Thompson garnered D2CCA Second Team All-Region honors after posting a ridiculous 6.20 digs per set and adding 17 aces.

Fans can follow along with the Huskies this season on Twitter (@SCSUHuskies_VB) and Instagram (@scsuvolleyball).

No. 9 Huskies open 2022 campaign with St. Cloud State Invite

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Players Mentioned

Kenzie Foley

Rachel Houle

Linsey Rachel

Phebie Rossi

Saint Cloud State University Athletics