Thursday, September 7
Duluth, Minn.
5:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Northern Michigan
Freshman outside hitter Abby Wachal (4) and senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley (8) celebrate a point during St. Cloud State's win over Alaska Fairbanks on August 31, 2023 at the Alaska Airlines Center
No. 5 St. Cloud State Volleyball Travels to Duluth for Up North Preseason Tournament
9/6/2023 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Huskies to play four matches at Romano Gymnasium beginning Thursday, September 7
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 5 St. Cloud State Volleyball (4-0, 0-0 NSIC) travels to Duluth this weekend for their second of two nonconference tournaments with four matches at the Up North Preseason Tournament. The Huskies will play Northern Michigan on Thursday, September 7, battle both Southern New Hampshire and Michigan Tech on Friday then close the tourney with Central Washington on Saturday. Thursday's tilt with NMU begins at 5:00 p.m. CT, Friday's matches are set for 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. with a noon start on Saturday against CWU.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
All four matches will be live streamed on the NSIC Network and 97.5 FM RadioX with live stats provided by Minnesota Duluth. Links to each streaming option can be found on the SCSU Volleyball schedule page.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies slid up two spots to No. 5 in week one's AVCA Top-25 poll, their 17th consecutive week in the Top 10 dating back to the 2021 season. Including their 2023 Preseason ranking, St. Cloud State has spent 21 weeks in the Top 10 under head coach Chad Braegelmann.
WAY UP NORTH
St. Cloud State's four matches at the Up North Preseason Tournament will test the Huskies' ability to bounce back from a busy travel schedule to Alaska, quickly turning around to four matches on the banks of Superior. SCSU has struggled mightily at Romano Gymnasium, dropping 18 of their last 19 matches at the venue - each of which was played against host Minnesota Duluth, who the Huskies will not play this week.
LAST TIME OUT
Then-No. 7 St. Cloud State Volleyball (4-0, 0-0 NSIC) received a vintage double-double performance from senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley as the Huskies downed Upper Iowa (2-2, 0-0 GLVC) in four sets at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday afternoon, taking the match 25-20, 23-25, 25-20 and 25-18. Foley's 22 kill, 17 dig effort was backed by 13 kills and five blocks on .367 hitting from redshirt sophomore Sam Zimmerman and 11 kills courtesy of freshman outside hitter Abby Wachal. The Huskies close the Seawolf Invitational with a 4-0 record and a 12-1 mark in sets, earning three straight-set wins in addition to their four-setter over Upper Iowa. SCSU outhit the Peacocks .201 to .125 while outkilling them 63 to 39. Junior libero Keely Kurschner provided a match-high 21 digs as the Huskies piled up 74 total, averaging 18.5 a set. Sophomore setter Emma Berran matched Foley with her second double-double of the season, recording 47 assists and 10 digs to go with four blocks and an ace.
SCOUTING NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Northern Michigan enters the tournament with a 1-3 record on the season, taking a four-setter from Minnesota Crookston in their season opener before dropping matches to Hillsdale, No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul and Northwood. The Wildcats' offense has struggled to find efficiency out of the gate, hitting just .151 with 11.5 kills per set. Outside hitter Rayne Thompson and offensive-minded middle blocker Meghan Meyer each average 2.57 kills/set with the latter hitting a scintillating .351 while outside Jacqueline Smith sent down 20 kills against Crookston before missing the next three matches. Northern Michigan posts just 1.36 blocks a set and has allowed opponents to hit .232 with 30 aces - just over two allowed per set. St. Cloud State is 10-18 all-time against the Wildcats in a series that began back in 1979.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Huskies meet the Penmen for the first time in program history this weekend, battling a 4-0 team yet to lose a set this fall. Southern New Hampshire took down Georgian Court, Edinboro, Southern Connecticut State and Saint Michael's in straight sets in Manchester last weekend as part of a terrific start to the Braden Zamore era. Outside hitter Ana Pimenta has been dominant at the left pin, recording 4.00 kills a set on .346 hitting, while fellow outside Dai Thawghmung and opposite Alessandra Peli each average more than 2.00 kills per set. The Penmen have posted a .145 hitting percentage defense through four matches this fall and have allowed just 10.33 kills/set.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN TECH
Michigan Tech owns a potentially deceiving 1-3 record entering the Up North Preseason Tournament, having dropped five-set battles to Winona State and Hillsdale along with a four-set loss to No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul. The "other" Huskies are led by longtime head coach Matt Jennings and feature a talented offensive weapon in outside Lindy Oujiri, a featured hitter who has produced 3.47 kills a set on .255 hitting through four matches. Senior libero Kate Walch leads the defense with 3.71 digs per set, but the Huskies net work has struggled out of the gate with just 1.24 blocks a set. St. Cloud State leads the all-time series against Michigan Tech 14-6, winning the last three meetings as well of four of their last five tilts.
SCOUTING NO. 23 CENTRAL WASHINGTON
SCSU faces a big test on Saturday with the No. 23 Central Washington Wildcats, a program that enters its 28th season under legendary head coach Mario Andaya with a 2-2 mark. CWU fell in straight sets to No. 3 MSU-Denver then dropped in five to No. 19 Cal State-San Bernardino before taking down both No. 9 Cal State-Los Angeles and No. 18 Regis at the Yotes Classic Showcase last weekend. GNAC career triple-double leader and Wildcat setter Tia Andaya's offense revolves around outsides Kylie Thorne, Scottie Ellsworth and Ashley Kaufman - each of whom send down at least 2.40 kills per set. Thorne is hitting .300 through four matches with 3.60 kills a set, proving incredibly difficult to slow down at the pin. 6'0 middle blocker Emma Daoud-Hebert has already piled up 22 blocks - good for 1.47 a set - while her 6'2 counterpart Morgan Halady adds 14 and 0.93 respectively. St. Cloud State has faced Central Washington just once, falling in straight sets early in the 2021 season at Ellensburg.
FOLEY CONQUERS THE LAST FRONTIER
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley was named Most Outstanding Player and headlined the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team after a terrific weekend, fueling St. Cloud State to a 4-0 start with a ranked win over No. 14 Alaska Anchorage. Leading the tournament and ranking No. 6 across the NCAA with 4.85 kills per set, Foley hit .307 with a pair of double-doubles while averaging 3.00 digs per set. She posted 5.04 points a set, No. 12 in the country, and shined in serve receive with a .964 on 84 chances. On the weekend, Foley produced 63 kills, 39 digs, three blocks, two assists and an ace.
BERRAN OF ANCHORAGE
Sophomore setter Emma Berran was named to the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team after a terrific weekend in Anchorage. Quarterbacking a lethal offense to hit .251 with 15.15 kills a set, Berran posted 12.15 assists/set while hitting .400 on dumps and adding nine aces for a whopping 0.69 a set. She aced Florida Tech six times in a straight set win, a mark that lands her top-five in a single match in program history. Five of Berran's hitters averaged at least 2.33 kills a set as her distribution impressed throughout the weekend. She also added 2.62 digs a set with seven blocks and recorded a pair of double-doubles. Her 12.15 assists per set currently lands her second in the NCAA at the DII level entering the weekend.
COUNT ON KEELY
Junior libero Keely Kurschner was named to the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team after a terrific weekend in Alaska. The Huskies' defensive captain logged 4.92 digs per set with 64 in just 13 sets as SCSU recorded three sweeps and a four-set win, anchoring a defense that held opponents to hit just .102 with a meager 9.46 kills a set. Both marks land the Huskies top-three across the league. Kurschner added 15 assists and an ace over the weekend.
KILL COUNTING
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley enters the weekend just two kills shy of 1,000 in her collegiate career, on the verge of becoming the 13th Husky to join the prestigious club. Should she join the 1,000 Kill Club this weekend, Foley would become the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills and just the fourth to join the club in her third season of competition. The two-time AVCA All-American and 2021 AVCA National Freshman of the Year is also just 221 digs away from reaching 1,000 in that category.
ANCHORING THE MIDDLE
The Huskies' middle blocker pairing of redshirt sophomore Sam Zimmerman and freshman Hannah Bruskiewicz enjoyed a terrific opening weekend in Alaska, providing excellent sources of offense to a balanced attack. Zimmerman posted 3.46 points on 2.85 kills and 1.00 blocks per set, hitting .283 with a .402 kill percentage. Bruskiewicz led all Huskies with at least 60 swings in kill percentage, terminating her swings at a .467 clip, and closed her debut weekend with 2.42 kills a set on .273 hitting.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Coupled with Bruskiewicz' strong debut weekend, each of the Huskies' three fellow freshmen enjoyed promising starts to their collegiate careers. Abby Wachal and Shelby Kimm averaged 2.40 and 2.33 kills per set respectively while splitting time at outside hitter, with the latter adding 2.22 digs per set and a .949 reception percentage. Wachal served a .970 as one of St. Cloud State's most consistent options at the line. Defensive specialist Annika Forbes found a home as the serving specialist, scoring a pair of aces.
SENIOR STEPS UP
Huskies senior defensive specialist Allena Shimon shined in her new role last weekend, providing strong service work and solid defense as the SCSU right back. The converted setter recorded four aces and was one of just two Huskies to not miss a serve - going 48-for-48. She added 1.42 digs per set while playing the back three rotations for the SCSU opposites.
SERVING SLUMP
SCSU looks to find a bit more consistency overall at the service line this weekend after struggling with missed serves at the Seawolf Invitational. The Huskies committed 31 service errors to just 21 aces (1.69/set) over their four matches, serving an uncharacteristically low .902 at the line.
PRESEASON COACH SPEAK
St. Cloud State Volleyball was picked to finish fourth in the 2023 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The defending NSIC Tournament Champion Huskies earned 154 points in the poll to land fourth, ranked top-four to open the season for the third straight campaign. Preseason favorite Concordia-St. Paul (190 pts) took eight first place votes to finish just ahead of Wayne State's (189 pts) seven, followed by Minnesota Duluth (165 pts) in third. Southwest Minnesota State (142 pts), Sioux Falls (130 pts), Augustana (109 pts) and Northern State (108 pts) round out the top eight. Winona State (99 pts) landed ninth with Minnesota State-Mankato (85 pts), MSU-Moorhead (64 pts) and Bemidji State (49 pts) filling out the top 12. The poll closed with Mary (47 pts), Minnesota Crookston (28 pts) and Minot State (16 pts).
Single match and season ticket information can be found on 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.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
All four matches will be live streamed on the NSIC Network and 97.5 FM RadioX with live stats provided by Minnesota Duluth. Links to each streaming option can be found on the SCSU Volleyball schedule page.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies slid up two spots to No. 5 in week one's AVCA Top-25 poll, their 17th consecutive week in the Top 10 dating back to the 2021 season. Including their 2023 Preseason ranking, St. Cloud State has spent 21 weeks in the Top 10 under head coach Chad Braegelmann.
WAY UP NORTH
St. Cloud State's four matches at the Up North Preseason Tournament will test the Huskies' ability to bounce back from a busy travel schedule to Alaska, quickly turning around to four matches on the banks of Superior. SCSU has struggled mightily at Romano Gymnasium, dropping 18 of their last 19 matches at the venue - each of which was played against host Minnesota Duluth, who the Huskies will not play this week.
LAST TIME OUT
Then-No. 7 St. Cloud State Volleyball (4-0, 0-0 NSIC) received a vintage double-double performance from senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley as the Huskies downed Upper Iowa (2-2, 0-0 GLVC) in four sets at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday afternoon, taking the match 25-20, 23-25, 25-20 and 25-18. Foley's 22 kill, 17 dig effort was backed by 13 kills and five blocks on .367 hitting from redshirt sophomore Sam Zimmerman and 11 kills courtesy of freshman outside hitter Abby Wachal. The Huskies close the Seawolf Invitational with a 4-0 record and a 12-1 mark in sets, earning three straight-set wins in addition to their four-setter over Upper Iowa. SCSU outhit the Peacocks .201 to .125 while outkilling them 63 to 39. Junior libero Keely Kurschner provided a match-high 21 digs as the Huskies piled up 74 total, averaging 18.5 a set. Sophomore setter Emma Berran matched Foley with her second double-double of the season, recording 47 assists and 10 digs to go with four blocks and an ace.
SCOUTING NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Northern Michigan enters the tournament with a 1-3 record on the season, taking a four-setter from Minnesota Crookston in their season opener before dropping matches to Hillsdale, No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul and Northwood. The Wildcats' offense has struggled to find efficiency out of the gate, hitting just .151 with 11.5 kills per set. Outside hitter Rayne Thompson and offensive-minded middle blocker Meghan Meyer each average 2.57 kills/set with the latter hitting a scintillating .351 while outside Jacqueline Smith sent down 20 kills against Crookston before missing the next three matches. Northern Michigan posts just 1.36 blocks a set and has allowed opponents to hit .232 with 30 aces - just over two allowed per set. St. Cloud State is 10-18 all-time against the Wildcats in a series that began back in 1979.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Huskies meet the Penmen for the first time in program history this weekend, battling a 4-0 team yet to lose a set this fall. Southern New Hampshire took down Georgian Court, Edinboro, Southern Connecticut State and Saint Michael's in straight sets in Manchester last weekend as part of a terrific start to the Braden Zamore era. Outside hitter Ana Pimenta has been dominant at the left pin, recording 4.00 kills a set on .346 hitting, while fellow outside Dai Thawghmung and opposite Alessandra Peli each average more than 2.00 kills per set. The Penmen have posted a .145 hitting percentage defense through four matches this fall and have allowed just 10.33 kills/set.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN TECH
Michigan Tech owns a potentially deceiving 1-3 record entering the Up North Preseason Tournament, having dropped five-set battles to Winona State and Hillsdale along with a four-set loss to No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul. The "other" Huskies are led by longtime head coach Matt Jennings and feature a talented offensive weapon in outside Lindy Oujiri, a featured hitter who has produced 3.47 kills a set on .255 hitting through four matches. Senior libero Kate Walch leads the defense with 3.71 digs per set, but the Huskies net work has struggled out of the gate with just 1.24 blocks a set. St. Cloud State leads the all-time series against Michigan Tech 14-6, winning the last three meetings as well of four of their last five tilts.
SCOUTING NO. 23 CENTRAL WASHINGTON
SCSU faces a big test on Saturday with the No. 23 Central Washington Wildcats, a program that enters its 28th season under legendary head coach Mario Andaya with a 2-2 mark. CWU fell in straight sets to No. 3 MSU-Denver then dropped in five to No. 19 Cal State-San Bernardino before taking down both No. 9 Cal State-Los Angeles and No. 18 Regis at the Yotes Classic Showcase last weekend. GNAC career triple-double leader and Wildcat setter Tia Andaya's offense revolves around outsides Kylie Thorne, Scottie Ellsworth and Ashley Kaufman - each of whom send down at least 2.40 kills per set. Thorne is hitting .300 through four matches with 3.60 kills a set, proving incredibly difficult to slow down at the pin. 6'0 middle blocker Emma Daoud-Hebert has already piled up 22 blocks - good for 1.47 a set - while her 6'2 counterpart Morgan Halady adds 14 and 0.93 respectively. St. Cloud State has faced Central Washington just once, falling in straight sets early in the 2021 season at Ellensburg.
FOLEY CONQUERS THE LAST FRONTIER
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley was named Most Outstanding Player and headlined the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team after a terrific weekend, fueling St. Cloud State to a 4-0 start with a ranked win over No. 14 Alaska Anchorage. Leading the tournament and ranking No. 6 across the NCAA with 4.85 kills per set, Foley hit .307 with a pair of double-doubles while averaging 3.00 digs per set. She posted 5.04 points a set, No. 12 in the country, and shined in serve receive with a .964 on 84 chances. On the weekend, Foley produced 63 kills, 39 digs, three blocks, two assists and an ace.
BERRAN OF ANCHORAGE
Sophomore setter Emma Berran was named to the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team after a terrific weekend in Anchorage. Quarterbacking a lethal offense to hit .251 with 15.15 kills a set, Berran posted 12.15 assists/set while hitting .400 on dumps and adding nine aces for a whopping 0.69 a set. She aced Florida Tech six times in a straight set win, a mark that lands her top-five in a single match in program history. Five of Berran's hitters averaged at least 2.33 kills a set as her distribution impressed throughout the weekend. She also added 2.62 digs a set with seven blocks and recorded a pair of double-doubles. Her 12.15 assists per set currently lands her second in the NCAA at the DII level entering the weekend.
COUNT ON KEELY
Junior libero Keely Kurschner was named to the Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team after a terrific weekend in Alaska. The Huskies' defensive captain logged 4.92 digs per set with 64 in just 13 sets as SCSU recorded three sweeps and a four-set win, anchoring a defense that held opponents to hit just .102 with a meager 9.46 kills a set. Both marks land the Huskies top-three across the league. Kurschner added 15 assists and an ace over the weekend.
KILL COUNTING
Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley enters the weekend just two kills shy of 1,000 in her collegiate career, on the verge of becoming the 13th Husky to join the prestigious club. Should she join the 1,000 Kill Club this weekend, Foley would become the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills and just the fourth to join the club in her third season of competition. The two-time AVCA All-American and 2021 AVCA National Freshman of the Year is also just 221 digs away from reaching 1,000 in that category.
ANCHORING THE MIDDLE
The Huskies' middle blocker pairing of redshirt sophomore Sam Zimmerman and freshman Hannah Bruskiewicz enjoyed a terrific opening weekend in Alaska, providing excellent sources of offense to a balanced attack. Zimmerman posted 3.46 points on 2.85 kills and 1.00 blocks per set, hitting .283 with a .402 kill percentage. Bruskiewicz led all Huskies with at least 60 swings in kill percentage, terminating her swings at a .467 clip, and closed her debut weekend with 2.42 kills a set on .273 hitting.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Coupled with Bruskiewicz' strong debut weekend, each of the Huskies' three fellow freshmen enjoyed promising starts to their collegiate careers. Abby Wachal and Shelby Kimm averaged 2.40 and 2.33 kills per set respectively while splitting time at outside hitter, with the latter adding 2.22 digs per set and a .949 reception percentage. Wachal served a .970 as one of St. Cloud State's most consistent options at the line. Defensive specialist Annika Forbes found a home as the serving specialist, scoring a pair of aces.
SENIOR STEPS UP
Huskies senior defensive specialist Allena Shimon shined in her new role last weekend, providing strong service work and solid defense as the SCSU right back. The converted setter recorded four aces and was one of just two Huskies to not miss a serve - going 48-for-48. She added 1.42 digs per set while playing the back three rotations for the SCSU opposites.
SERVING SLUMP
SCSU looks to find a bit more consistency overall at the service line this weekend after struggling with missed serves at the Seawolf Invitational. The Huskies committed 31 service errors to just 21 aces (1.69/set) over their four matches, serving an uncharacteristically low .902 at the line.
PRESEASON COACH SPEAK
St. Cloud State Volleyball was picked to finish fourth in the 2023 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The defending NSIC Tournament Champion Huskies earned 154 points in the poll to land fourth, ranked top-four to open the season for the third straight campaign. Preseason favorite Concordia-St. Paul (190 pts) took eight first place votes to finish just ahead of Wayne State's (189 pts) seven, followed by Minnesota Duluth (165 pts) in third. Southwest Minnesota State (142 pts), Sioux Falls (130 pts), Augustana (109 pts) and Northern State (108 pts) round out the top eight. Winona State (99 pts) landed ninth with Minnesota State-Mankato (85 pts), MSU-Moorhead (64 pts) and Bemidji State (49 pts) filling out the top 12. The poll closed with Mary (47 pts), Minnesota Crookston (28 pts) and Minot State (16 pts).
Single match and season ticket information can be found on 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.
Players Mentioned
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