Photo by: Christian Heilwagen
Foley Helps VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen Win Bundesliga Championship, Finishes Second in MVP Race in Rookie Season
4/30/2026 12:18:00 PM | Volleyball
Kenzie Foley ’24 excelled, stacked hardware in first professional season in Germany
SUHL, Germany – Former St. Cloud State Volleyball outside hitter Kenzie Foley '24 (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) capped off her extremely successful rookie season with VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen by winning the 2026 Volleyball Bundesliga (VBL) title on April 22 at the Antenne Thüringen Volleyball Arena aka the Festung Wolfsgrube (Wolf Pit Fortress) in Suhl, Germany. The 3-0 best-of-five series win over six-time German champions and seven-time DVV-Pokal (DVV Cup) winners Dresdner SC made the organization Deutscher Meister (German Champions) for the first time ever in its 35-year history.
The first SCSU volleyball alumna to play professionally in the Chad Braegelmann era, Foley not only helped the Wolf Pack win their first Bundesliga championship, but also the organizations second second-ever Zoi DVV Cup (also in 2008) on February 28. Suhl went 16-4 in regular season play, 4-0 in the DVV Cup and a perfect 7-0 in the Bundesliga Playoffs for a record of 27-4 across all competitions during the season.
After each match, the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) of both teams are awarded a VBL coin. The MVP of the winning team receives a gold coin, and the MVP of the losing team receives a silver coin. At the end of the season, the player with the most gold coins is awarded the title of Most Valuable Player of the Bundesliga season. Foley, who received eight medals (eight gold and zero silver) across the season, finished second in the MVP race to Marta Kamēlija Levinska of Dresdner who had 12 (nine gold and three silver).
Suhl began the DVV Cup with sweeps in the Round of 16 (Nov. 8) and the Quarterfinals (Nov. 22) before needing five sets (27-29, 25-20, 25-18, 16-25 and 15-12) to overcome Dresdner SC in the Semifinals on Dec. 12 to reach the final. The championship match was a five-set thriller against Allianz MTV Stuttgart in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,508 spectators at the SAP Arena in Mannheim on February 28. Suhl won the first two sets (25-17, 25-18) but dropped the next two (25-15, 25-23) before coming back to win the fifth set 15-13 to secure the club's second-ever DVV Cup and first since 2008.
In the first round of the Bundesliga Playoffs, Suhl swept VC Wiesbaden in a best-of-three series, winning 3-1 (25-9, 25-27, 25-17 and 25-20) at home and 3-0 on the road (25-14, 25-21 and 25-13). The Wolf Pack also swept their second round best-of-three series against SSC Palmberg Schwerin winning 3-1 (25-13, 25-16, 23-25 and 26-24) at home again and 3-0 on the road again (25-22, 25-22 and 25-17). Foley was named the Gold MVP in the second-round road sweep which also marked the first road win against Schwerin in 21 years.
To open the championship series, Suhl swept DSC (25-22, 25-22 and 25-16) for its 17th consecutive home win and Foley was named the Gold MVP. In match two, the Wolf Pack dropped the first set 25-23, won the second set convincingly 25-11, fell in the third 26-24 after holding a 21-15 lead and came back to win the final two, 25-14 and 15-13 for its first road victory against Dresden since October 19, 2011. Suhl returned home for game three and its first "match point" of the series and swept DSC (25-20, 25-16 and 25-22) to win its first-ever VBL Championship in front of a sold-out home crowd. Foley was also named the Gold MVP for the second time in the final series.
"Kenzie has always been an intense competitor and has such a strong desire to improve so it has been so fun to watch her continue to grow her game," said Braegelmann. "Having the chance to see her play in Germany this spring was a privilege, and it definitely became one of my favorite memories with her."
FOLEY MAKING HISTORY FOR THE HUSKIES
November 12, 2021 – Became the record holder for the most kills by a first-year player, surpassing the record set by Linsey Rachel (2018-22) in 2018
December 7, 2021 – Became the Huskies first-ever AVCA National Freshman of the Year and the Huskies first-ever freshman to earn all-America honors (AVCA First Team, D2CCA Third Team)
November 11, 2022 – Earned her second AVCA DII National Player of the Week award, passing Kristi Kutter (1990-93), Swen Minnema (1992-95) and Cami Selbitschka (1993-96) for the most by a Husky during their career
September 11, 2023 – Earned her third NSIC Offensive Player of the Week award, passing Rachel for the most by a Husky during their career
November 9, 2023 – Became SCSU's first-ever NSIC Player of the Year
November 11, 2023 – Broke the program record for career 20+ kill matches, surpassing the record set by Selbitschka in 1996
November 28-29, 2023 – Became the first Husky to be named a Region Player of the Year (AVCA and D2CCA)
December 7, 2023 – Became SCSU's first-ever National Player of the Year (AVCA and D2CCA)
December 14, 2023 – Became the Huskies first-ever Honda NCAA DII Athlete of the Year Finalist
August 8, 2024 – Became SCSU's first-ever NSIC Preseason Player of the Year
September 25, 2024 – Became SCSU's record holder for all-time points and kills, surpassing the records set by Kathy Davis (1985-88) in 1988 and Rachel in 2022 respectively
October 12, 2024 – Broke the single game kills record with 34 to break the previous record of 32 which was shared by herself (two times) and Cami Selbitschka (1993-96) who also did it twice. She also broke the record for most double-digit kill matches surpassing the record set by Rachel in 2022
November 9, 2024 – Broke the program record for career double-doubles, surpassing the record set by Rachel in 2022
December 5, 2024 – Broke the program record for career sets played, surpassing the record set by Rachel in 2022
December 7, 2024 – Became the first player in program history to surpass 2,000 career kills
December 1, 2024 – Became the first player in program history to earn four all-America honors
January 14, 2025 – Became the first player in program history to earn CSC Academic All-America® honors twice
June 14, 2025 – Became the first player in the Braegelmann era to sign a professional contract
October 12, 2025 – Became the first player in the Braegelmann era to play a professional match
February 28, 2026 – Became the first player in program history to win a professional trophy
April 22, 2026 – Became the first player in program history to win a professional league championship
Pro Signing Release (June 25, 2025)
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The first SCSU volleyball alumna to play professionally in the Chad Braegelmann era, Foley not only helped the Wolf Pack win their first Bundesliga championship, but also the organizations second second-ever Zoi DVV Cup (also in 2008) on February 28. Suhl went 16-4 in regular season play, 4-0 in the DVV Cup and a perfect 7-0 in the Bundesliga Playoffs for a record of 27-4 across all competitions during the season.
After each match, the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) of both teams are awarded a VBL coin. The MVP of the winning team receives a gold coin, and the MVP of the losing team receives a silver coin. At the end of the season, the player with the most gold coins is awarded the title of Most Valuable Player of the Bundesliga season. Foley, who received eight medals (eight gold and zero silver) across the season, finished second in the MVP race to Marta Kamēlija Levinska of Dresdner who had 12 (nine gold and three silver).
Suhl began the DVV Cup with sweeps in the Round of 16 (Nov. 8) and the Quarterfinals (Nov. 22) before needing five sets (27-29, 25-20, 25-18, 16-25 and 15-12) to overcome Dresdner SC in the Semifinals on Dec. 12 to reach the final. The championship match was a five-set thriller against Allianz MTV Stuttgart in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,508 spectators at the SAP Arena in Mannheim on February 28. Suhl won the first two sets (25-17, 25-18) but dropped the next two (25-15, 25-23) before coming back to win the fifth set 15-13 to secure the club's second-ever DVV Cup and first since 2008.
In the first round of the Bundesliga Playoffs, Suhl swept VC Wiesbaden in a best-of-three series, winning 3-1 (25-9, 25-27, 25-17 and 25-20) at home and 3-0 on the road (25-14, 25-21 and 25-13). The Wolf Pack also swept their second round best-of-three series against SSC Palmberg Schwerin winning 3-1 (25-13, 25-16, 23-25 and 26-24) at home again and 3-0 on the road again (25-22, 25-22 and 25-17). Foley was named the Gold MVP in the second-round road sweep which also marked the first road win against Schwerin in 21 years.
To open the championship series, Suhl swept DSC (25-22, 25-22 and 25-16) for its 17th consecutive home win and Foley was named the Gold MVP. In match two, the Wolf Pack dropped the first set 25-23, won the second set convincingly 25-11, fell in the third 26-24 after holding a 21-15 lead and came back to win the final two, 25-14 and 15-13 for its first road victory against Dresden since October 19, 2011. Suhl returned home for game three and its first "match point" of the series and swept DSC (25-20, 25-16 and 25-22) to win its first-ever VBL Championship in front of a sold-out home crowd. Foley was also named the Gold MVP for the second time in the final series.
"Kenzie has always been an intense competitor and has such a strong desire to improve so it has been so fun to watch her continue to grow her game," said Braegelmann. "Having the chance to see her play in Germany this spring was a privilege, and it definitely became one of my favorite memories with her."
FOLEY MAKING HISTORY FOR THE HUSKIES
November 12, 2021 – Became the record holder for the most kills by a first-year player, surpassing the record set by Linsey Rachel (2018-22) in 2018
December 7, 2021 – Became the Huskies first-ever AVCA National Freshman of the Year and the Huskies first-ever freshman to earn all-America honors (AVCA First Team, D2CCA Third Team)
November 11, 2022 – Earned her second AVCA DII National Player of the Week award, passing Kristi Kutter (1990-93), Swen Minnema (1992-95) and Cami Selbitschka (1993-96) for the most by a Husky during their career
September 11, 2023 – Earned her third NSIC Offensive Player of the Week award, passing Rachel for the most by a Husky during their career
November 9, 2023 – Became SCSU's first-ever NSIC Player of the Year
November 11, 2023 – Broke the program record for career 20+ kill matches, surpassing the record set by Selbitschka in 1996
November 28-29, 2023 – Became the first Husky to be named a Region Player of the Year (AVCA and D2CCA)
December 7, 2023 – Became SCSU's first-ever National Player of the Year (AVCA and D2CCA)
December 14, 2023 – Became the Huskies first-ever Honda NCAA DII Athlete of the Year Finalist
August 8, 2024 – Became SCSU's first-ever NSIC Preseason Player of the Year
September 25, 2024 – Became SCSU's record holder for all-time points and kills, surpassing the records set by Kathy Davis (1985-88) in 1988 and Rachel in 2022 respectively
October 12, 2024 – Broke the single game kills record with 34 to break the previous record of 32 which was shared by herself (two times) and Cami Selbitschka (1993-96) who also did it twice. She also broke the record for most double-digit kill matches surpassing the record set by Rachel in 2022
November 9, 2024 – Broke the program record for career double-doubles, surpassing the record set by Rachel in 2022
December 5, 2024 – Broke the program record for career sets played, surpassing the record set by Rachel in 2022
December 7, 2024 – Became the first player in program history to surpass 2,000 career kills
December 1, 2024 – Became the first player in program history to earn four all-America honors
January 14, 2025 – Became the first player in program history to earn CSC Academic All-America® honors twice
June 14, 2025 – Became the first player in the Braegelmann era to sign a professional contract
October 12, 2025 – Became the first player in the Braegelmann era to play a professional match
February 28, 2026 – Became the first player in program history to win a professional trophy
April 22, 2026 – Became the first player in program history to win a professional league championship
Pro Signing Release (June 25, 2025)
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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