No. 11 St. Cloud State Volleyball Welcomes No. 23 Minnesota State to Halenbeck Hall on Tuesday

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 11 St. Cloud State Volleyball (14-5 overall, 9-2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) is set for a midweek matchup against No. 23 Minnesota State (16-3, 8-3 NSIC) on Tuesday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Halenbeck Hall.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The match will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network. Additionally, fans can listen to the match on the KVSC Sports Stream with KVSC talent Brian Moos (play-by-play) and Reece Powell (color) calling the action. Live stats will be provided by SCSU and tickets can be purchased HERE.

Match 20 – vs. #23 Minnesota State (Halenbeck Hall // St. Cloud) – Tuesday, Oct. 21 / 6 p.m. / Watch (NSIC Network) / Live stats / Listen (KVSC Sports Stream)

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

MATCH DAY PROMOTIONS
Tuesday, Oct. 21 vs. #23 Minnesota State
Promotion: Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night

HOME SWEET HALENBECK
SCSU Volleyball has enjoyed tremendous success in the friendly confines of Halenbeck Hall, going 66-10 (.868) in its last 76 home matches. The Huskies are 7-2 at home this season.

SERIES HISTORY
The Huskies are 63-53 all-time against Minnesota State including an 8-2 mark in its last 10 meetings with the Mavericks. SCSU has won the last six matchups against Minnesota State including a 3-1 victory earlier this season on Sept. 23 at the Taylor Center in Mankato. The Huskies are 22-20 all-time against MSU at Halenbeck Hall

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 11 Huskies went 1-1 in a split weekend last weekend. On Thursday, SCSU was swept by No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul at Halenbeck Hall before going on the road and taking down Winona State in straight sets at McCown Gymnasium.

Notes from the matches
3-0 loss vs. #10 Concordia-St. Paul (10-16-25)

SCSU moved to 9-35 all-time against the Golden Bears and 6-4 in the last 10 matches against CSP. The Huskies had their four-match win streak snapped are now 6-14 against Concordia-St. Paul at home.
The Huskies were swept for the second time this season (first time since season opener at Simon Fraser on Sept. 4) and dropped back-to-back matches in the same season for the first time since 2023.
SCSU moved to 5-4 against teams ranked/receiving votes this season, 7-2 at home and 9-2 in three set matches.
The Huskies led the match in assists (42-40) and digs (67-63). CSP led the match in points (57-50), hitting percentage (.238-.156), aces (6-3) and blocks (8-4). Both teams sent down 43 kills.
Junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa) contributed a 19-dig, 10-kill double-double. It was her eighth double-double this season (second straight). Kimm's 19 digs were the second most in a single match this season.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Abby Wachal (Lincoln, Neb.) tallied 14 digs and seven kills. Her 14 digs were her second most in a single match this season.
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) posted 37 assists and six digs. She has dished out 37+ assists in 11 matches this season.
Redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) recorded 10 kills (.333 hitting percentage) and two solo blocks. Her two solo blocks tied her career high and it's the first time she has done it as a Husky.
Sophomore libero Laurin Hamann (Manitowoc, Wis.) recorded 10 digs. She has posted double-digit digs in every match this season.
Senior defensive specialist Emily Kern (Belgrade, Minn.) posted nine digs. It was the sixth time this season she posted 9+ digs.
Graduate opposite Sam Zimmerman (Moorhead, Minn.) tallied six kills and four digs.
Junior middle blocker Hannah Bruskiewicz (Rogers, Minn) posted seven kills.

3-1 win @ Winona State (10-18-25)

SCSU improved to 47-19 all-time against the Warriors including a nine-match win streak that dates back to October 2018. The Huskies also improve to 10-10 all-time in Winona.
The Huskies snapped their two-match losing streak and earned their 10^th sweep of the season.
SCSU improved to 5-3 on the road and 10-2 in three set matches.
The Huskies led the match in points (59-38), kills (48-31), hitting percentage (.203-.149), aces (6-0), assists (42-30) and digs (57-56. WSU led the match in blocks (7-5).
Junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa) recorded a 10-kill, 10-dig double-double. It was her ninth double-double this season (third straight).
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) contributed 32 assists, nine digs and five kills. She has dished out 32+ assists in 10 straight matches. LaPlant tied her career high in single match kills (five) and attacks (10).
Graduate opposite Sam Zimmerman (Moorhead, Minn.) sent down 10 kills (.364 hitting percentage). It was her fourth match this season tallying double-digit kills.
Sophomore libero Laurin Hamann (Manitowoc, Wis.) posted 15 digs, four assists and two aces. She has contributed 15+ digs in nine matches this season.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Abby Wachal (Lincoln, Neb.) recorded nine kills and eight digs.
Redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) tallied seven kills, three block assists and one solo block.
Senior defensive specialist Emily Kern (Belgrade, Minn.) posted nine digs.

LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies were ranked No. 11 in the Oct. 20 (week seven) American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/TARAFLEX Division II Poll, holding onto the same spot from the previous poll.

Under the direction of Head Coach Chad Braegelmann, the program has been ranked for 76 consecutive weeks (including 47 weeks in the top 10), dating back to the 2019 season. The Huskies have spent a total of 150 weeks in the AVCA top 20/25 Poll in program history, including 72 weeks in the top 10.

SCSU in the 2025 AVCA DII National Poll
#3 – Preseason
#10 – Week One
#16 – Week Two
#15 – Week Three
#13 – Week Four
#10 – Week Five
#11 – Week Six
#11 – Week Seven

NCAA (Top 50) / NSIC (Top 15) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
(as of 10/19)

Sophomore libero Laurin Hamann
- NSIC
  - No. 6 – digs/set (4.39)
  - No. 6 – digs (294)
Junior outside hitter/opposite Shelby Kimm
- NSIC
  - No. 8 – kills/set (3.41)
  - No. 10 – digs/set (3.62)
  - No. 11 – points/set (3.86)
  - No. 11 – attacks/set (8.81)
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant
- NCAA
  - No. 8 – assists/set (11.27)
  - No. 28 – assists (699)
- NSIC
  - No. 4 – assists/set (11.27)
  - No. 6 – assists (699)
Redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson
- NSIC
  - No. 8 – points/set (3.87)
  - No. 9 – kills/set (3.41)
  - No. 11 – hitting percentage (.328)
  - No. 14 – kills (215)
  - No. 15 – blocks (52)
Graduate student opposite Sam Zimmerman
- NSIC
  - No. 5 – aces/set (0.46)

NCAA (Top 20) / NSIC (Top 3) TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
(as of 10/19)

NCAA
- No. 2 – kills/set (14.97)
- No. 6 – assists/set (13.66)
NSIC
- No. 1 – kills/set (14.97)
- No. 2 – kills (1,003)
- No. 2 – assists/set (13.66)
- No. 2 – assists (915)
- No. 3 – service aces (126)
- No. 3 – aces/set (1.88)

31 IN A ROW
SCSU had its 31-match win streak against NSIC opponents that dated back to 2024 snapped on October 11 after being defeated by then-No. 11 Wayne State in a thrilling back-and-forth five set match. Prior to Saturday, the Huskies were off to an 8-0 start in conference play this season after going 23-0 against NSIC teams in 2024. Last season SCSU went 18-0 in conference play, 1-0 in nonconference play, 3-0 in the NSIC Tournament and 1-0 in the NCAA tournament against NSIC opponents.

NSIC SPOTLIGHT
Redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) was featured on the fifth episode of the 2025-26 season of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) spotlight following SCSU's 3-0 week and 5-0 start to conference play.

Watch on YouTube
NSIC Release

NSIC SETTER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Setter of the Week on Sept. 29. It was LaPlant's first career weekly honor, and she is the first Husky to be recognized this season.

The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native led the NSIC in assists/set (12.20) while contributing 2.50 digs/set. She guided the Huskies offense to a league-leading 15.30 kills per set and the .302 team hitting percentage was second best in the league last week.

LaPlant's standout match came in SCSU's four set win at previously undefeated (RV) Minnesota State when she posted a 46-assist, 17-dig double-double. It was her third double-double of the season and her 17 digs were a new career high mark for a single match. She dished out 38 assists in each of SCSU's wins over the weekend.

NSIC Release

ALL-TOURNEY TEAMS
Sophomore setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn) and redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) were named to the 2025 UP North Tournament All-Tournament Team.

Senior setter Emma Berran (Inver Grove Heights, Minn) and Thompson were named to the 2025 Western Washington Invitational All-Tournament Team to open the season.

WELCOME TO THE PACK
The Huskies welcomed three newcomers to the team this fall (all freshmen): setter/opposite Asta Hildebrand (North Liberty, Iowa / Liberty HS), middle blocker Kendall Huhnerkoch (Redwood Falls, Minn. / Redwood Valley HS) and outside hitter/defensive specialist Emery Thury (Watertown, S.D. / Watertown HS).

NSIC PRESEASON FAVORITES / NSIC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
St. Cloud State Volleyball was selected to finish first in the 2025 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Additionally, reigning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) second team All-American, redshirt senior middle blocker Ella Thompson (Lakeville, Minn.) was named the Preseason Player of the Year for the conference.

The defending NSIC Regular Season and Tournament Champion Huskies amassed 212 points in the poll, including eight of the 16 first place votes, earning the top spot in the preseason poll for the first time in program history.

Rounding out the top five behind the Huskies is Concordia-St. Paul (2^nd, 208 points, four first place votes), Southwest Minnesota State (3^rd, 202 points, four first place votes), Wayne State (4^th, 188 points) and Northern State (5^th, 170 points).

"Once again, I'm impressed with the work that these women have put in, throughout the spring, competitive season, and the off-season," said head coach Chad Braegelmann. "They continue to improve as volleyball players, students of the game and as role models to the young girls that watch our sport. I am excited to see some new players step up into bigger roles, this fall and am excited for the combination of experience and youth that we look to roster this fall."

In her first season playing for SCSU in 2024, Thompson was a first team All-Central Region selection by the AVCA and a second team all-region pick by the D2CCA. The Lakeville native was a first team All-NSIC selection and was named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team, the NSIC Tournament All-Tournament Team and the UP North Tournament All-Tournament Team. The middle blocker finished the regular season No. 30 among DII players in hitting percentage and was top six among NSIC players in hitting percentage, points/set, kills/set and total kills.

"Ella is fantastic offensively and does not get cheated on her swings," said Braegelmann. "She is very intense on the volleyball court and has grown in her knowledge of the game. Her energy on the court is contagious."

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.