No. 8 Huskies prepare for Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 8 St. Cloud State Volleyball continues their nonconference schedule with four matches this weekend at the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach. The Huskies play a pair of matches on both Friday and Saturday – September 2 and 3 – beginning with Barton at 1:00 p.m. CT followed by a tilt with host Palm Beach Atlantic at 6:00 p.m. CT. An early morning 8:00 a.m. CT match against Lynn opens Saturday's competition before the Huskies wrap up the Bash with New Haven at 3:30 p.m. CT.

Broadcast Information
Each of the Huskies' four matches will be broadcast on the KVSC Sports Stream with Palm Beach Atlantic providing live video coverage for the weekend. Fans can find links to each match on the SCSU Volleyball schedule page.

Huskies Primer
St. Cloud State moved up one spot to No. 8 in the AVCA Top-25 poll on Monday following a 4-0 start to their season at the SCSU/CSP Invite. The Huskies averaged 14.2 kills a set on .268 hitting while holding their opponents to a .134 attack percentage, winning 12 of 13 sets played. Kenzie Foley (4.69 K/S, 5.88 P/S, .295), Linsey Rachel (2.85 K/S, 3,77 D/S) and Phebie Rossi (3.00 K/S, 1.46 B/S) were each named to the All-Tournament Team after stellar opening weekends. Keely Kurschner earned NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors after leading the conference with 5.31 digs a set and anchoring a serve receive that allowed the fewest aces in the Northern Sun.

Last Time Out
The Huskies punctuated a perfect start to the season with a four-set win over RV Ashland on Saturday evening at Halenbeck Hall. Phebie Rossi was phenomenal as both an attacker and a blocker, putting down 18 kills on .340 hitting while adding eight blocks. Linsey Rachel settled in after a quiet first set, delivering her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 20 digs. Kenzie Foley likewise double-doubled for the second time in 2022 – adding 14 kills and 18 digs – and dominated the service line with a career-high five aces. SCSU limited Ashland to 46 kills and a .145 hitting percentage on the night, forcing them into 22 errors.

Scouting Barton
Barton opened their 2022 season by going 1-2 at the USC-Aiken Invitational in South Carolina, sweeping Paine while falling in straight sets to the host and Lenoir-Rhyne. Last season the Bulldogs were 9-15 and 6-11 in Conference Carolinas play, falling in five sets to Belmont Abbey in the conference tournament. Second Team All-Conference Carolinas outside hitter Allison Gambill averaged 4.15 kills a set in 2021 and has opened her senior campaign with 21 kills and a double-double through three matches.

Scouting RV Palm Beach Atlantic
Host Palm Beach Atlantic received votes in the latest AVCA Top-25 poll after winning three of four matches at the Tony Banner Invitational in Clarion, Pennsylvania. The Sailfish were 18-14 and 11-8 in Sunshine State Conference play in 2021, graduating all but two starters entering this fall. Freshman outside Abbie Zylstra has supplied most of the offense, putting down 3.15 kills a set on .205 hitting. Kaileigh Ammons (.452) and Anna Gregerson (.314) have been efficient as the middle pairing while Eastern Michigan transfer Jayden Otto is directing the offense to the tune of 9.38 assists a set.

Scouting Lynn
Lynn is off to a 3-0 start in 2022, taking nine of 10 sets at the FSC Volleyball Classic last weekend. The Fighting Knights chartered a 19-12 record last season, going 14-6 in Sunshine State Conference action. Outside hitter Nadia Linder earned Honorable Mention AVCA All-American honors last season with 3.54 kills a set and has opened her senior campaign with 35 in 10 sets. Middle blocker Monica Mazzoleni is hitting .382 with 2.90 kills and 0.70 blocks per set this fall. Lynn's defense has held offenses to hit .095, featuring an impressive 2.10 blocks/set.

Scouting New Haven
Picked to finish second in the Northeast-10 in the preseason coaches' poll, New Haven went 2-2 in their season-opening trip to New York. The Chargers earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season while going 22-10 with a 10-3 conference mark. First Team All-Northeast 10 outside Macy Brown has been dominant, posting 3.69 kills a set on .244 hitting with three double-doubles. Fellow outside Avery Moore has added 2.73 kills a set while middle Kylie Reynolds-Martin is hitting .322 to open the year.

Leading the Pack
Through the first weekend of the 2022 season, Huskies can be found all over the NSIC leaderboards. Kenzie Foley leads the conference in points per set (5.88), ranks second in kills per set (4.69), is fourth in aces per set (0.77) and lands 18^th in hitting percentage (.295). Phebie Rossi is the NSIC block/set leader (1.46) while ranking eighth in points per set (3.92) and 12^th in kills per set (3.00). Keely Kurschner leads the league in digs per set (5.31) and is second in digs (69). Emma Berran lands fourth in assists per set (11.46) while Linsey Rachel is top-20 in digs/set (3.77, 10^th) and kills/set (2.85, 16^th). Sam Zimmerman rounds out the leaderboard at 11^th in hitting percentage with a .346 mark.

Rachel's Record Watch
Graduate student outside hitter Linsey Rachel begins play ranked fifth on the Huskies all-time kills list with 1288 and sixth in digs with 1247. She is just five kills away from moving into fourth and needs 35 to move into third, which would pass Lisette Hayden (93') and Kim Pellmann (99') respectively.

Can't Stop Kenzie
Junior outside Kenzie Foley enters the weekend third in the country with 5.88 points/set while ranking seventh in kills/set with 4.69. She double-doubled twice in the SCSU/CSP Invite, hitting .295 with a team-leading 76.5 points.

Defensive Standouts
Senior middle blocker Phebie Rossi ranks No. 15 in the country with 1.46 blocks a set while sophomore libero Keely Kurschner is 20^th in digs/set with 5.31.

Can You Dig It?
The Huskies are first in the NSIC and 15^th nationally with 17.92 digs per set. Keely Kurschner leads the conference and is No. 20 in DII with 5.31 a set while Linsey Rachel is 10^th in the league with 3.77.

Big Swings
St. Cloud State ranks 11^th in the NCAA with 14.23 kills per set. The Huskies are fourth in kills/set and hitting percentage across the Northern Sun.

Serve-and-Pass Success
SCSU has excelled in the serve-and-pass game this season, allowing the fewest aces (7) and aces per set (0.54) in the NSIC while posting the third-most aces per set of their own (2.15) Linsey Rachel and Kenzie Foley have combined for a perfect serve receive, going 133-for-133 with zero reception errors.

Information regarding single game and season tickets can be found at scsutickets.com. For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Emma Berran

Kenzie Foley

Keely Kurschner

Linsey Rachel

Phebie Rossi

Sam Zimmerman

Saint Cloud State University Athletics