Friday, September 22
St. Cloud, Minn.
6:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
MSU-Moorhead
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley celebrates a kill during St. Cloud State's win over Minot State on Sep. 15, 2023 at the MSU Dome
No. 6 St. Cloud State Volleyball Prepares for Home Opening Weekend
9/21/2023 4:45:00 PM | Volleyball
Huskies host MSU-Moorhead and Northern State this weekend at Halenbeck Hall
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 6 St. Cloud State Volleyball (9-2, 2-0 NSIC) continues conference play this weekend while celebrating their home opener, welcoming MSU-Moorhead (4-6, 1-1 NSIC) to Halenbeck Hall on Friday then meeting Northern State (9-1, 2-0 NSIC) on Saturday. Friday's first serve is set for 6:00 p.m. CT with Saturday's tilt scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Both matches will be broadcast on the NSIC Network with live stats provided by the host institutions. Links to each streaming option can be found on the SCSU Volleyball schedule page.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies remained at No. 6 in week three's AVCA Top-25 poll, their 19th consecutive week in the Top 10 dating back to the 2021 season. St. Cloud State has spent 23 weeks in the Top 10 under head coach Chad Braegelmann.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
The first 100 fans attending Friday's match will receive a Huskies Volleyball schedule poster while all former and active service members will receive free admission as part of Salute to Service Day. Saturday's match is a Shut Out Hunger night with a free ticket voucher to a future game provided in exchange for a canned food donation.
SATURDAY CELEBRATION
St. Cloud State will unveil their 2022 NSIC Tournament Championship banner prior to Saturday's match while also honoring 2022-23 St. Cloud State Female Athlete of the Year Linsey Rachel as part of the pre-match festivities.
HOME SWEET HALENBECK
SCSU Volleyball has enjoyed tremendous success in the friendly confines of Halenbeck Hall, going 33-6 (.846) at home since 2019 while winning 36 of their last 42 home matches entering 2023.
LAST TIME OUT
The No. 6 Huskies (9-2, 2-0 NSIC) turned in an incredible defense effort in a road sweep of Mary (4-6, 0-2 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, taking the match 25-17, 25-18 and 25-19. The Huskies defense limited Mary to just 20 kills on .055 hitting, forcing 15 attacking errors with seven stuff blocks. Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley led all players with 10 kills while adding 11 digs and a season-high four aces, anchoring a tremendous SCSU serving effort. The Huskies aced Mary nine times with junior libero Keely Kurschner adding two alongside her match-leading 13 digs. Freshman outside hitter Abby Wachal and freshman middle blocker Hannah Bruskiewicz each provided eight kills while redshirt sophomore Sam Zimmerman scored seven on .263 hitting with four blocks. Junior opposite Natalie Tesch scored seven kills while posting a career-high three blocks. Kurschner's 16 digs anchored the defensive effort as freshman defensive specialist Annika Forbes set a new career best with seven of her own to go with an ace. Sophomore setter Emma Berran nearly double-doubled for the second straight night, finishing with 27 assists and nine digs alongside two kills and an ace.
CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS
St. Cloud State enters the 2023 conference season in search of its fourth consecutive top five finish in the NSIC regular season. The Huskies are 51-11 in league play dating back to 2019 and earned the 2021 NSIC Regular Season Championship with a 19-1 campaign, adding two 15-win seasons in that span while establishing themselves as a true power in the Northern Sun. Over that span, nine of SCSU's 11 losses were to ranked teams - speaking to the strength of the ever-competitive NSIC. SCSU has finished .500 or better in conference play for four straight seasons.
SCOUTING MSU-MOORHEAD
MSU-Moorhead opened conference play with a 1-1 weekend, dropping a five-setter to Bemidji State before bouncing back with a sweep of Minnesota Crookston. Bridget Witzmann has enjoyed a highly productive start to the fall with 3.08 kills and 2.79 digs a set, leading the Dragons in both categories while hitting .209 and scoring a team-leading 18 aces. Middle blocker Abby Thompson hits .356 with 2.00 kills and 0.54 blocks a set, providing serious pressure at the net. The Dragon defense has struggled for stretches this season, allowing opponents to hit .200 while digging just 13.3 swings a set.
SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
The Wolves are off to a 9-1 start this fall and enter the weekend on a nine-match winning streak after dropping their season opener to Maryville. Libero Abby Meister is second in the country with 6.25 digs a set and has anchored a defense that holds opponents to just 9.5 kills a set on .096 hitting. Middle blocker Abby Brooks averages just over a block per set while standout setter Keri Walker (10.44 A/S, .262, 0.89 B/S) has developed into one of the top blocking setters in the league to help Northern post nearly 2.5 blocks a set. Freshman opposite Morissen Samuels puts away 3.17 kills/set on .232 hitting while outside hitter Natalia Szybinska adds 2.75 on .255. Opposite Hanna Thompson has produced double-digit kills in five of her last eight matches, adding to Walker's strong complement of hitters.
DYNAMIC DEFENSE
The Huskies' defense has been nothing short of incredible through their first 11 matches of 2023, limiting opponents to just 9.92 kills/set on .150 hitting and a .302 kill percentage. SCSU has allowed the second-fewest kills in the Northern Sun while boasting the No. 4 hitting percentage defense in the league, adding the sixth-most digs across the conference at 15.24 a set.
EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
St. Cloud State enters week four with the most terminal offense in all of NCAA DII Volleyball, sending down 14.62 kills per set on .253 hitting while boasting an incredible .416 kill percentage. The club's K/S mark ranks seventh in the nation while their hitting percentage is No. 25 across the NCAA. Plenty of credit can be given to sophomore setter Emma Berran's work directing the offense as the standout is ninth in the country with 11.19 assists per set. Berran has her five qualifying hitters averaging 2.05 kills/set or better while all five post kill percentages of .370 or higher. Incredibly, three of those five are true freshmen - speaking to the Huskies' ability to quickly involve their talented weapons in the attack.
ALL HAIL QUEEN KENZIE
Fresh off back-to-back All-Tournament Team nods and her first NSIC Player of the Week selection, senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley looks to continue her incredible start to her third season of competition as conference play continues. Foley is producing career marks in nearly every offensive category, averaging 5.15 points and 4.70 kills per set on .298 hitting with a .466 kill percentage alongside 3.08 digs per set. Her passing has taken a big step forward, leading the serve receive with a .976 reception percentage while going 212-for-217 on her chances. The Huskies' feature hitter leads the conference in both kills and points per set while ranking fourth and ninth nationally in the two categories.
KEELY'S CRUSHING IT
Junior libero Keely Kurschner is fresh off a terrific weekend to open conference play, piling up 36 digs over the course of the Huskies' sweeps of Minot State and Mary to average 6.00 a set. Kurschner has been terrific as the quarterback of the St. Cloud State defense, averaging 4.31 digs per set to go with seven aces and a strong .949 in serve receive. Her work with out-of-system balls has helped the Huskies terminate nearly 47% of her sets, providing a unique strength for the club.
TRUSTING TESCH
Junior opposite Natalie Tesch provided a strong weekend filling in at the right pin last weekend as Abby Wachal slid across to the left side. Tesch logged 2.50 kills a set on a .429 kill percentage, finding great success as a complement to the rest of the Huskies attack.
KILL COUNTING
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley became the program's fastest player to reach 1,000 career kills last weekend and now turns her sights towards entering St. Cloud State's Top 10 list for the category. Foley is eight kills away from reaching standout outside hitter Ashley Shields' (2007-10) mark of 1117 and 14 from Hall of Famer GiGi DesLauriers (1988-91). The two-time AVCA All-American and 2021 AVCA National Freshman of the Year is also just 146 digs away from reaching 1,000 in that category.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Both matches will be broadcast on the NSIC Network with live stats provided by the host institutions. Links to each streaming option can be found on the SCSU Volleyball schedule page.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies remained at No. 6 in week three's AVCA Top-25 poll, their 19th consecutive week in the Top 10 dating back to the 2021 season. St. Cloud State has spent 23 weeks in the Top 10 under head coach Chad Braegelmann.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
The first 100 fans attending Friday's match will receive a Huskies Volleyball schedule poster while all former and active service members will receive free admission as part of Salute to Service Day. Saturday's match is a Shut Out Hunger night with a free ticket voucher to a future game provided in exchange for a canned food donation.
SATURDAY CELEBRATION
St. Cloud State will unveil their 2022 NSIC Tournament Championship banner prior to Saturday's match while also honoring 2022-23 St. Cloud State Female Athlete of the Year Linsey Rachel as part of the pre-match festivities.
HOME SWEET HALENBECK
SCSU Volleyball has enjoyed tremendous success in the friendly confines of Halenbeck Hall, going 33-6 (.846) at home since 2019 while winning 36 of their last 42 home matches entering 2023.
LAST TIME OUT
The No. 6 Huskies (9-2, 2-0 NSIC) turned in an incredible defense effort in a road sweep of Mary (4-6, 0-2 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, taking the match 25-17, 25-18 and 25-19. The Huskies defense limited Mary to just 20 kills on .055 hitting, forcing 15 attacking errors with seven stuff blocks. Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley led all players with 10 kills while adding 11 digs and a season-high four aces, anchoring a tremendous SCSU serving effort. The Huskies aced Mary nine times with junior libero Keely Kurschner adding two alongside her match-leading 13 digs. Freshman outside hitter Abby Wachal and freshman middle blocker Hannah Bruskiewicz each provided eight kills while redshirt sophomore Sam Zimmerman scored seven on .263 hitting with four blocks. Junior opposite Natalie Tesch scored seven kills while posting a career-high three blocks. Kurschner's 16 digs anchored the defensive effort as freshman defensive specialist Annika Forbes set a new career best with seven of her own to go with an ace. Sophomore setter Emma Berran nearly double-doubled for the second straight night, finishing with 27 assists and nine digs alongside two kills and an ace.
CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS
St. Cloud State enters the 2023 conference season in search of its fourth consecutive top five finish in the NSIC regular season. The Huskies are 51-11 in league play dating back to 2019 and earned the 2021 NSIC Regular Season Championship with a 19-1 campaign, adding two 15-win seasons in that span while establishing themselves as a true power in the Northern Sun. Over that span, nine of SCSU's 11 losses were to ranked teams - speaking to the strength of the ever-competitive NSIC. SCSU has finished .500 or better in conference play for four straight seasons.
SCOUTING MSU-MOORHEAD
MSU-Moorhead opened conference play with a 1-1 weekend, dropping a five-setter to Bemidji State before bouncing back with a sweep of Minnesota Crookston. Bridget Witzmann has enjoyed a highly productive start to the fall with 3.08 kills and 2.79 digs a set, leading the Dragons in both categories while hitting .209 and scoring a team-leading 18 aces. Middle blocker Abby Thompson hits .356 with 2.00 kills and 0.54 blocks a set, providing serious pressure at the net. The Dragon defense has struggled for stretches this season, allowing opponents to hit .200 while digging just 13.3 swings a set.
SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
The Wolves are off to a 9-1 start this fall and enter the weekend on a nine-match winning streak after dropping their season opener to Maryville. Libero Abby Meister is second in the country with 6.25 digs a set and has anchored a defense that holds opponents to just 9.5 kills a set on .096 hitting. Middle blocker Abby Brooks averages just over a block per set while standout setter Keri Walker (10.44 A/S, .262, 0.89 B/S) has developed into one of the top blocking setters in the league to help Northern post nearly 2.5 blocks a set. Freshman opposite Morissen Samuels puts away 3.17 kills/set on .232 hitting while outside hitter Natalia Szybinska adds 2.75 on .255. Opposite Hanna Thompson has produced double-digit kills in five of her last eight matches, adding to Walker's strong complement of hitters.
DYNAMIC DEFENSE
The Huskies' defense has been nothing short of incredible through their first 11 matches of 2023, limiting opponents to just 9.92 kills/set on .150 hitting and a .302 kill percentage. SCSU has allowed the second-fewest kills in the Northern Sun while boasting the No. 4 hitting percentage defense in the league, adding the sixth-most digs across the conference at 15.24 a set.
EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
St. Cloud State enters week four with the most terminal offense in all of NCAA DII Volleyball, sending down 14.62 kills per set on .253 hitting while boasting an incredible .416 kill percentage. The club's K/S mark ranks seventh in the nation while their hitting percentage is No. 25 across the NCAA. Plenty of credit can be given to sophomore setter Emma Berran's work directing the offense as the standout is ninth in the country with 11.19 assists per set. Berran has her five qualifying hitters averaging 2.05 kills/set or better while all five post kill percentages of .370 or higher. Incredibly, three of those five are true freshmen - speaking to the Huskies' ability to quickly involve their talented weapons in the attack.
ALL HAIL QUEEN KENZIE
Fresh off back-to-back All-Tournament Team nods and her first NSIC Player of the Week selection, senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley looks to continue her incredible start to her third season of competition as conference play continues. Foley is producing career marks in nearly every offensive category, averaging 5.15 points and 4.70 kills per set on .298 hitting with a .466 kill percentage alongside 3.08 digs per set. Her passing has taken a big step forward, leading the serve receive with a .976 reception percentage while going 212-for-217 on her chances. The Huskies' feature hitter leads the conference in both kills and points per set while ranking fourth and ninth nationally in the two categories.
KEELY'S CRUSHING IT
Junior libero Keely Kurschner is fresh off a terrific weekend to open conference play, piling up 36 digs over the course of the Huskies' sweeps of Minot State and Mary to average 6.00 a set. Kurschner has been terrific as the quarterback of the St. Cloud State defense, averaging 4.31 digs per set to go with seven aces and a strong .949 in serve receive. Her work with out-of-system balls has helped the Huskies terminate nearly 47% of her sets, providing a unique strength for the club.
TRUSTING TESCH
Junior opposite Natalie Tesch provided a strong weekend filling in at the right pin last weekend as Abby Wachal slid across to the left side. Tesch logged 2.50 kills a set on a .429 kill percentage, finding great success as a complement to the rest of the Huskies attack.
KILL COUNTING
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley became the program's fastest player to reach 1,000 career kills last weekend and now turns her sights towards entering St. Cloud State's Top 10 list for the category. Foley is eight kills away from reaching standout outside hitter Ashley Shields' (2007-10) mark of 1117 and 14 from Hall of Famer GiGi DesLauriers (1988-91). The two-time AVCA All-American and 2021 AVCA National Freshman of the Year is also just 146 digs away from reaching 1,000 in that category.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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MB
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OH
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DS/OH
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Li/DS
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OH
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OPP/S
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OH/OPP
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MB
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