No. 2 St. Cloud State Volleyball Set for Final Regular Season Road Trip

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 2 St. Cloud State Volleyball (21-2, 15-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) hits the road for the final time in the regular season, heading to Mankato and St. Paul this weekend. The Huskies play (RV) Minnesota State (16-6, 8-6 NSIC) on Friday and No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul (18-4, 13-1 NSIC) on Saturday. First serve for Friday's match is scheduled for 6 p.m. from the Taylor Center in Mankato and Saturday's tilt will start at 5 p.m. from the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
@ (RV) Minnesota State (Taylor Center – Mankato) – Friday, Nov. 8 / 6 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live Stats

@ #8 Concordia-St. Paul (Gangelhoff Center – St. Paul) – Saturday, Nov. 9 / 5 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live Stats

Links to each coverage option can also be found on the St. Cloud State Volleyball schedule page.

SERIES HISTORY
St. Cloud State Volleyball is 61-53 all-time against Minnesota State. SCSU is 6-4 in its last 10 matchups against the Mavericks, but have won its last four in a row, including a 3-1 win on Sept. 19 at Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies are 14-17 all-time against MSU at the Taylor Center.

The Huskies are 6-34 all-time against Concordia-St. Paul. SCSU won the team's first two all-time matchups before the Golden Bears were able to win 27 matches in a row. Since the Huskies snapped their long drought in 2019, they are 4-7 against the perennial powerhouse, including a 3-0 sweep in St. Cloud on Sept. 24. SCSU is 1-14 all-time against the Bears at the Gangelhoff Center.

17 IN A ROW
SCSU has won 17 straight matches, tying the record for longest win streak in program history which was set in 2021. The 17-match win streak includes eight wins over nationally ranked teams – No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State (sweep), No. 6 Wayne State, No. 9 Concordia-St. Paul (sweep), No. 15 Minnesota Duluth (sweep), No. 20 Michigan Tech, No. 22 Northern State (sweep), No. 24 Minnesota Duluth (sweep) and (RV) Minnesota State.

BRING OUT THE BROOMS
All 13 of SCSU's sweeps this season have come during the last 15 matches and the Huskies have swept their last seven matches, one short of tying the program record of eight that was set in 2022.

HISTORIC START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
St. Cloud State is off to its best conference in program history (15-0). The previous record was set in 1982 (Northern Sun Conference – NSC) and tied in 1985 (North Central Conference – NCC) when both teams finished their respective conference season with a perfect 7-0 record. The Huskies have clinched a spot in the 2024 NSIC Volleyball Tournament.

LET'S GO POLLING
In the November 4 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/TARAFLEX Division II Poll, St. Cloud State received its highest ever ranking – No. 2. In the two previous polls, St. Cloud State was ranked No. 3, matching the program's previous highest national ranking. It is the fourth time (third consecutive) that the Huskies have been ranked in the top-3 and the third time during the tenure of head coach Chad Braegelmann.

List of St. Cloud State Volleyball Top-3 National Rankings
#2 – Week Nine of 2024
#3 – Week One of 1996
#3 – Week Seven of 2024
#3 – Week Eight of 2024

Under the direction of Braegelmann, the program has been ranked for 64 consecutive weeks (including 40 weeks in the top 10), dating back to the 2019 season. The Huskies have spent a total of 138 weeks in the AVCA top 20/25 Poll in program history, including 65 weeks in the top 10.

In the most recent AVCA Poll, seven NSIC schools and 11 teams from the Central Region were ranked in the Top 25/Receiving Votes.

Nov. 4 AVCA Top-25 National Rankings (overall record)
#2 St. Cloud State* (21-2)
#5 Nebraska Kearney^ (24-1)
#8 Concordia St. Paul* (18-4)
#10 Wayne State* (19-5)
#11 Central Oklahoma^ (23-2)
#16 Southwest Minnesota State* (19-4)
#21 Northern State* (17-5)
(RV) Washburn^ (18-4)
(RV) Missouri Western^ (19-5)
(RV) Minnesota Duluth* (14-9)
(RV) Minnesota State* (16-6)

*NSIC Team
^Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Team

To view the AVCA poll, click here.

St. Cloud State Volleyball in the 2024 AVCA Polls
#10 – Preseason
#7 – Week One
#12 – Week Two
#12 – Week Three
#8 – Week Four
#5 – Week Five
#5 – Week Six
#3 – Week Seven
#3 – Week Eight
#2 – Week Nine

NCAA REGION RANKINGS
St. Cloud State Volleyball was among the first NCAA Volleyball Regional Rankings, as announced by the organization on Nov. 6. The Huskies are one of five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) teams under consideration, joining Concordia-St. Paul, Southwest Minnesota State, Wayne State and Winona State in the first of three rankings.

St. Cloud State is looking to make its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have made the NCAA Tournament a total of nine times in program history. St. Cloud State has three remaining regular season games before the NSIC Tournament starts on Nov. 19.

Again this year, for NCAA Division II sports with regional rankings, schools will be listed as under consideration in alphabetical order for the first ranking of the season.

The NSIC, the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC) make up the 39-team NCAA Central Region. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA region tournament on December 5-8. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the MIAA, GAC and NSIC postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots awarded on an at-large basis.

The NCAA Volleyball selection show will be streamed online on Monday, November 25 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on NCAA.com.

The championship quarterfinals, semifinals and final match will take place Thursday-Saturday, December 12-14, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Nov. 6 NCAA Central Region Rankings (overall record, in region record)
Note - teams under consideration are listed in alphabetical order in the first ranking

Central Oklahoma^ (23-2, 19-2)
Concordia St. Paul* (18-4, 14-1)
Emporia State^ (15-7, 15-6)
Missouri Western^ (19-5, 16-5)
Nebraska Kearney^ (24-1, 21-1)
Southwest Minnesota State* (19-4, 16-4)
St. Cloud State* (21-2, 17-1)
Washburn^ (18-4, 17-3)
Wayne State* (19-5, 13-5)
Winona State* (15-10, 14-9)

* NSIC Team
^ MIAA Team
& GAC Team

To view the full NCAA DII Volleyball Region Rankings, click here.

WOLTERS KLUWER FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
St. Cloud State Athletics announced that fifth year outside hitter Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) was named the Wolters Kluwer Female Athlete of the Month for October after sweeping the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Offensive Player of the Week honors during the month.

Kenzie Foley's October Highlights

Named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week every week of October (Oct. 7 | Oct. 14 | Oct. 21 | Oct. 28) to bring her season total to six and her career total to 13.
Named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Player of the Week on Oct. 8 for the first time of the season and the third time in her career.
Set the program record for single match kills with 34 in a thrilling five set road victory over No. 6 Wayne State on Oct. 12, breaking the old record of 32 which was held by both Foley and Cami Selbitschka, who had each recorded 32 kills in two matches.
During October, Foley was No. 1 in kills/set (5.36), No. 1 in points/set (6.06), No. 1 in kills (177), tied for No. 1 in points (200.0), No. 5 in hitting percentage (.343), tied for No. 4 in service aces (14) and tied for No. 5 in service aces/set (0.42) among NSIC players.
As of October 28, Foley ranked No. 4 in kills/set (4.97), No. 4 in points/set (5.59) and No. 5 in total kills (368) among all Division II players. She was also leading the NSIC in kills/set, points/set, total kills and total attacks (769), and was No. 2 in attacks/set (10.39), No. 13 in hitting percentage (.299) and No. 19 in total digs (227).
SCSU went a perfect 10-0 during the month with eight sweeps and five wins over nationally ranked opponents.

NSIC WEEKLY AWARDS
Fifth year outside hitter Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) has earned Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Offensive Player of the Week honors 13 times in her career and six times this season (Sept. 9 | Sept. 16 | Oct. 7 | Oct. 14 | Oct. 21 | Oct. 21). She was also named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Player of the Week on Oct. 8 for the first time of the season and the third time in her career.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) was tabbed as the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7. It was the first NSIC honor of her career and second conference honor all-time after being named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 15, 2022, while playing for South Dakota State.

NSIC SPOTLIGHT
Fifth year outside hitter Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) was featured on sixth episode of the 2024-25 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Spotlight series – the voice of the NSIC Student-Athletes – which was released on Oct. 16.

To watch the interview on YouTube, click here.

AVCA WEEKLY AWARD
Fifth year outside hitter Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Player of the Week by the organization on Oct. 8. It was her first National Player of the Week honor of the year and the third of her career. The 2023 DII AVCA National Player of the Year is one of just four Huskies be named AVCA DII National Player of the Week in program history and is the only player to be honored more than once in her career.

St. Cloud State players who have been the AVCA Division II National Player of the Week:
Kristi Kutter (Oct. 4, 1993)
Swen Minnema (Oct. 9, 1995)
Cami Selbitschka (Sept. 2, 1996)
Kenzie Foley (Sept. 11, 2022)
Kenzie Foley (Nov. 13, 2022)
Kenzie Foley (Oct. 8, 2024)

NCAA (Top-50) / NSIC (Top-25) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
(as of 11/6)

Junior setter Emma Berran (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.)
- NCAA
  - No. 9 – assists/set (11.36)
  - No. 33 – assists (886)
- NSIC
  - No. 3 – assists/set (11.36)
  - No. 5 – assists (886)
  - No. 15 – aces/set (0.36)
Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Bruskiewicz (Rogers, Minn.)
- NCAA
  - No. 39 – hitting % (.361)
- NSIC
  - No. 3 – hitting % (.361)
  - No. 15 – blocks/set (0.87)
  - No. 16 – blocks (69)
  - No. 20 – points/set (3.30)
  - No. 21 – kills (220)
  - No. 21 – kills/set (2.78)
Fifth year outside hitter Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa)
- NCAA
  - No. 5 – kills/set (4.91)
  - No. 5 – points/set (5.51)
  - No. 6 – kills (388)
  - No. 49 – attacks/set (10.37)
- NSIC
  - No. 1 – kills/set (4.91)
  - No. 1 – kills (388)
  - No. 1 – points/set (5.51)
  - No. 2 – attacks/set (10.37)
  - No. 3 – attacks (819)
  - No. 14 – hitting % (.298)
Sophomore outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa)
- NSIC
  - No. 2 – aces/set (0.44)
  - No. 8 – aces (31)
Senior libero Keely Kurschner (Maplewood, Minn.)
- NSIC
  - No. 3 – aces (34)
  - No. 4 – aces/set (0.44)
  - No. 9 – digs/set (4.18)
  - No. 10 – digs (334)
Redshirt junior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.)
- NCAA
  - No. 43 – hitting % (.358)
- NSIC
  - No. 4 – hitting % (.358)
  - No. 8 – kills/set (3.13)
  - No. 8 – points/set (3.54)
  - No. 11 – kills (247)

NCAA (Top-10) / NSIC (Top-5) TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
(as of 11/6)

NCAA
- No. 3 – kills/set (15.04)
- No. 5 – hitting % (.289)
- No. 5 – assists/set (13.74)
- No. 6 – winning % (.913)
NSIC
- No. 1 – winning % (.913)
- No. 1 – kills/set (15.04)
- No. 1 – hitting % (.289)
- No. 1 – opponents hitting % (.147)
- No. 1 – aces/set (1.96)
- No. 3 – assists/set (13.74)
- No. 3 – aces (157)
- No. 4 – kills (1,203)
- No. 4 – assists (1,099)

PROGRAM LEADERBOARD STANDINGS
(as of 11/6)

Junior setter Emma Berran (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.)
- No. 5 in career assists (359 more until No. 4)
Fifth year outside hitter Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa)
- No. 1 in career kills – broke Linsey Rachel's record that was set in 2022
- No. 1 in career points – passed SCSU Hall of Famer and volleyball legend, Kathy Davis, who had held the record for 36 years
- No. 1 in career double-digit kill matches – broke Linsey Rachel's record that was set in 2022
- No. 1 in single-match kills – broke a tie with Cami Selbitschka (1996)
- No. 2 in career double-doubles (2 more until No. 1)
- No. 3 in career attacks (40 more until No. 2)
- No. 6 in career sets played (5 more until No. 5)
- No. 7 in career digs (26 more until No. 6)
- 27 20+ kill matches in her career
- 4 30+ kill matches in her career
Senior libero Keely Kurschner (Maplewood, Minn.)
- No. 8 in career digs (30 more until No. 7)