St. Cloud State Volleyball Selected Third in NSIC Preseason Poll, Kimm Named Player to Watch
8/5/2026 10:01:00 AM | Volleyball
Huskies earn pair of first place votes, return four starters from 2025 team that won the NSIC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 including AVCA All-American Kimm
BURNSVILLE, Minn. – St. Cloud State Volleyball was picked to finish third in the 2026 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Wednesday. Additionally, reigning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Second Team All-American, senior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa) was named the Huskies 'Player to Watch'.
NSIC RELEASE
The Huskies (3rd, 199 points, two first place votes), who earned a top-four preseason ranking for the sixth consecutive season, were preceded in the poll by Concordia-St. Paul (1st, 220 points, 11 first place votes) and Wayne State (2nd, 207 points, three first place votes) and followed by Southwest Minnesota State (4th, 177 points) and Sioux Falls (5th, 158 points) who round out the top five. It was also the fifth time in the last six years that SCSU received first place votes.
Last season, SCSU finished third in the Northern Sun regular season standings before going on to win its second consecutive conference tournament championship and fourth in the last five seasons after taking down the No. 13, No. 2 and No. 5 teams in the country.
"With the graduation of six players from last year's roster, it has been extremely fun to watch new leaders grow and develop," said head coach Chad Braegelmann. "There will be opportunities for younger players to get out on the floor, to showcase the improvement that they made over the spring and summer, and it will be fun to see this team form their own identity again, as we hope to make another fun postseason run."
Braegelmann, who is entering year 12 as the Huskies head coach and year 26 as a collegiate head coach in 2026, is approaching 500 career wins. He owns an overall record of 492-273 (.643) and an impressive 207-102 (.670) record at SCSU which includes a 125-71 (.638) mark in conference play.
Last season, Braegelmann led SCSU to a 28-7 (18-2 NSIC) record which included the program's sixth consecutive (11th overall) NCAA Tournament berth and second straight (fourth overall) trip to an NCAA region championship match after beating No. 17 Missouri Western and No. 2 and tournament host, Nebraska Kearney, on their home court. Last season the Huskies also tied the program record for NCAA Tournament wins in a season (two), were ranked inside the top 16 of every AVCA Poll (including tying the program record final ranking of No. 5) and earned wins over 13 ranked opponents including four against top five teams.
On the court, the Huskies return four starters from last year's team, headlined by a pair of AVCA Second Team All-Americans – Kimm and junior setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.).
In her breakout junior season in 2025, Kimm not only earned the first all-America recognition of her career but also the first all-region and all-conference honors after averaging 3.88 points, 3.47 digs, 3.40 kills and 0.46 blocks per set throughout the season.
The North Liberty, Iowa native was named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team, the Division-II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region Second Team and the All-NSIC First Team. Kimm was also named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team for the first time and became a back-to-back NSIC All-Tournament Team selection.
"Shelby has been one of the most improved players to come through our program in recent history," said Braegelmann. "Her growth and maturation as a volleyball player have been very impressive to watch and work with. She enjoys the game of volleyball, she loves the process of getting better and she is a volleyball weapon in the front row back row and service line."
LaPlant flourished in 2025 after becoming the team's full-time setter early in the season, and like Kimm earned the first national, regional and conference awards of her career. For the season, she averaged 11.69 assists, 2.21 digs, 1.23 points, 0.62 kills and 0.49 blocks per set.
The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native was named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team, the D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team and the All-NSIC First Team. She was also named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team and the NSIC All-Tournament Team and became just the fifth player in program history to be named AVCA DII Player of the Week. LaPlant's 1,309 assists in 2025 rank No. 8 on the program's single season top 10 list and she produced three of the top five single match assist performances. Her .329 career hitting percentage also ranks No. 6 all-time on the program leaderboard.
SCSU also returns junior libero/defensive specialist Laurin Hamann (Manitowoc, Wis.) and redshirt junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Abby Wachal (Lincoln, Neb.) who were regular starters for the Huskies in 2025.
In her first season as the libero, Hamann posted the fourth most single season digs (589) in program history and set the single match record for digs, with 38, in a 3-1 NSIC Tournament Semifinals win over No. 2 Wayne State on Nov. 21, breaking Andreanna Pieper's record of 37 from Oct. 20, 2007. She also led the team in aces, with 48. Wachal, who was coming off a redshirt season, recorded nine kill-dig double-doubles throughout the season and was named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team.
Junior outside hitter/opposite Carlie Willis (Grundy Center, Iowa) is the final returner who played in 100+ sets in 2025, meanwhile senior middle blocker Hannah Bruskiewicz (Rogers, Minn.) looks to return to the lineup after being hampered by injury in 2025. In 2024, she was a Second Team All-NSIC Selection and an NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team member. The Rogers, Minnesota native owns top 10 marks in career hitting percentage (No. 8, .305) and single season hitting percentage (No. 10, .354, 2024).
The Huskies welcomed seven newcomers to the roster this offseason, including one transfer – junior middle blocker Abby Leaf (Ramsey, Minn. / Anoka HS / Washburn) and six freshman who will begin their collegiate careers at St. Cloud State in 2026 – middle blocker Alexis Heinle (Bismarck, N.D. / Century HS), libero/defensive specialist Clara Keaveny (Waconia, Minn. / Mayer Lutheran HS), setter Izzy Keaveny (Waconia, Minn. / Mayer Lutheran HS), opposite/outside hitter Keira Nagle (Minneapolis / Academy of Holy Angels), middle blocker Brynn Panek (Avon, Minn. / Albany HS) and opposite/outside hitter Audrey Rydell (Fargo, N.D. / North HS).
St. Cloud State Volleyball will play a 29-match regular season slate that features nonconference trips to the Upper Peninsula for the UP North Tournament and Southern Florida for the Barry Invitational before they kick off their 20-match Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) season. In total, SCSU will play 11 home matches throughout the season.
The Huskies open the 2026 season with their fourth straight appearance in the rotating UP North Tournament which will be hosted by Northern Michigan at Vandament Arena in Marquette, Michigan Aug. 27-28. SCSU plays Cal State East Bay and host Northern Michigan on Aug. 27 before wrapping up the four-game slate against Tiffin (Ohio) and Michigan Tech on Aug. 28. The Huskies have played Northern Michigan 31 times (12-19, last in 2025) and Michigan Tech 23 times (17-6, last in 2025), sweeping both teams in St. Cloud during the UP North Tournament last season. SCSU has never played Cal State East Bay or Tiffin in volleyball.
The following weekend, St. Cloud State travels to Miami Shores, Florida for the Barry Invitational Sept. 3-5. The Huskies will play Lubbock Christian (Texas) on Sept. 3, Converse (S.C.) and host Barry (Fla.) on Sept. 4 before closing out play in The Sunshine State against Lynn (Fla.) on Sept. 5. SCSU has played Barry twice (0-2, last in 2025) and Lynn once (0-1, last in 2022) but has never matched up against Lubbock Christian or Converse. Last season, the Huskies fell to Barry, 3-1 in St. Cloud during the UP North Tournament.
Northern Sun play starts Sept. 11-12 when Augustana and Wayne State come to St. Cloud for the Huskies 2026 home-opening weekend. The next weekend, SCSU makes its first conference road trip of the season when it travels to play Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls Sept. 18-19. In the latter stages of the NSIC slate, the Huskies will play rival Concordia-St. Paul in a nonconference matchup at Halenbeck Hall on Oct. 20. SCSU's final conference road trip is Oct. 30-31 when they travel to Wayne State and Augustana and the Huskies will close out their conference schedule at home against USF and SMSU on Nov. 6-7.
In total, the Huskies will play 11 home regular season matches (10 in conference play). The NSIC Tournament will open with the quarterfinals at home sites on Nov. 10 and will finish at the highest remaining seed for the semifinals and championship match Nov. 13-14 or Nov. 14-15. The NCAA Central Region Tournament is slated for Nov. 19-22 at the home site of the No. 1 seed, and the NCAA Championships will take place at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri Dec. 3-5.
SCSU will play seven matches against five teams who made the 2025 NCAA DII Tournament (Barry [1], Concordia-St. Paul [2], Lubbock Christian [1], Lynn [1] and Wayne State [2]) and 11 matches against seven teams who were ranked/receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/TARAFLEX DII Final Poll – No. 2 CSP (2), No. 6 Barry (1), No. 10 Wayne State (2), No. 16 SMSU (2), No. 19 Lynn (1), (RV) Minnesota State (1) and (RV) Sioux Falls (2). The Huskies made its second consecutive NCAA Sweet 16/Central Region Championship and finished the season ranked No. 5, tying the best-ever final ranking in program history.
The 2026 Huskies Volleyball Season Ticket Package can be purchased for $60/seat at SCSUTickets.com or by calling 320-308-2137. The package includes a general admission ticket to each of the 11 regular season home matches. Additionally, you can purchase single match tickets.
2026 SCHEDULE | SCHEDULE RELEASE
BUY SEASON TICKETS | BUY SINGLE MATCH TICKETS | SEASON TICKET RELEASE
WHAT THE PACK BRINGS BACK IN 2026
SCSU returns the following from last season:
The Huskies are coming off another historic season in which they:
NSIC RELEASE
The Huskies (3rd, 199 points, two first place votes), who earned a top-four preseason ranking for the sixth consecutive season, were preceded in the poll by Concordia-St. Paul (1st, 220 points, 11 first place votes) and Wayne State (2nd, 207 points, three first place votes) and followed by Southwest Minnesota State (4th, 177 points) and Sioux Falls (5th, 158 points) who round out the top five. It was also the fifth time in the last six years that SCSU received first place votes.
Last season, SCSU finished third in the Northern Sun regular season standings before going on to win its second consecutive conference tournament championship and fourth in the last five seasons after taking down the No. 13, No. 2 and No. 5 teams in the country.
"With the graduation of six players from last year's roster, it has been extremely fun to watch new leaders grow and develop," said head coach Chad Braegelmann. "There will be opportunities for younger players to get out on the floor, to showcase the improvement that they made over the spring and summer, and it will be fun to see this team form their own identity again, as we hope to make another fun postseason run."
Braegelmann, who is entering year 12 as the Huskies head coach and year 26 as a collegiate head coach in 2026, is approaching 500 career wins. He owns an overall record of 492-273 (.643) and an impressive 207-102 (.670) record at SCSU which includes a 125-71 (.638) mark in conference play.
Last season, Braegelmann led SCSU to a 28-7 (18-2 NSIC) record which included the program's sixth consecutive (11th overall) NCAA Tournament berth and second straight (fourth overall) trip to an NCAA region championship match after beating No. 17 Missouri Western and No. 2 and tournament host, Nebraska Kearney, on their home court. Last season the Huskies also tied the program record for NCAA Tournament wins in a season (two), were ranked inside the top 16 of every AVCA Poll (including tying the program record final ranking of No. 5) and earned wins over 13 ranked opponents including four against top five teams.
On the court, the Huskies return four starters from last year's team, headlined by a pair of AVCA Second Team All-Americans – Kimm and junior setter Braya LaPlant (Grand Rapids, Minn.).
In her breakout junior season in 2025, Kimm not only earned the first all-America recognition of her career but also the first all-region and all-conference honors after averaging 3.88 points, 3.47 digs, 3.40 kills and 0.46 blocks per set throughout the season.
The North Liberty, Iowa native was named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team, the Division-II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region Second Team and the All-NSIC First Team. Kimm was also named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team for the first time and became a back-to-back NSIC All-Tournament Team selection.
"Shelby has been one of the most improved players to come through our program in recent history," said Braegelmann. "Her growth and maturation as a volleyball player have been very impressive to watch and work with. She enjoys the game of volleyball, she loves the process of getting better and she is a volleyball weapon in the front row back row and service line."
LaPlant flourished in 2025 after becoming the team's full-time setter early in the season, and like Kimm earned the first national, regional and conference awards of her career. For the season, she averaged 11.69 assists, 2.21 digs, 1.23 points, 0.62 kills and 0.49 blocks per set.
The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native was named to the AVCA All-Central Region First Team, the D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team and the All-NSIC First Team. She was also named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team and the NSIC All-Tournament Team and became just the fifth player in program history to be named AVCA DII Player of the Week. LaPlant's 1,309 assists in 2025 rank No. 8 on the program's single season top 10 list and she produced three of the top five single match assist performances. Her .329 career hitting percentage also ranks No. 6 all-time on the program leaderboard.
SCSU also returns junior libero/defensive specialist Laurin Hamann (Manitowoc, Wis.) and redshirt junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Abby Wachal (Lincoln, Neb.) who were regular starters for the Huskies in 2025.
In her first season as the libero, Hamann posted the fourth most single season digs (589) in program history and set the single match record for digs, with 38, in a 3-1 NSIC Tournament Semifinals win over No. 2 Wayne State on Nov. 21, breaking Andreanna Pieper's record of 37 from Oct. 20, 2007. She also led the team in aces, with 48. Wachal, who was coming off a redshirt season, recorded nine kill-dig double-doubles throughout the season and was named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team.
Junior outside hitter/opposite Carlie Willis (Grundy Center, Iowa) is the final returner who played in 100+ sets in 2025, meanwhile senior middle blocker Hannah Bruskiewicz (Rogers, Minn.) looks to return to the lineup after being hampered by injury in 2025. In 2024, she was a Second Team All-NSIC Selection and an NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team member. The Rogers, Minnesota native owns top 10 marks in career hitting percentage (No. 8, .305) and single season hitting percentage (No. 10, .354, 2024).
The Huskies welcomed seven newcomers to the roster this offseason, including one transfer – junior middle blocker Abby Leaf (Ramsey, Minn. / Anoka HS / Washburn) and six freshman who will begin their collegiate careers at St. Cloud State in 2026 – middle blocker Alexis Heinle (Bismarck, N.D. / Century HS), libero/defensive specialist Clara Keaveny (Waconia, Minn. / Mayer Lutheran HS), setter Izzy Keaveny (Waconia, Minn. / Mayer Lutheran HS), opposite/outside hitter Keira Nagle (Minneapolis / Academy of Holy Angels), middle blocker Brynn Panek (Avon, Minn. / Albany HS) and opposite/outside hitter Audrey Rydell (Fargo, N.D. / North HS).
St. Cloud State Volleyball will play a 29-match regular season slate that features nonconference trips to the Upper Peninsula for the UP North Tournament and Southern Florida for the Barry Invitational before they kick off their 20-match Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) season. In total, SCSU will play 11 home matches throughout the season.
The Huskies open the 2026 season with their fourth straight appearance in the rotating UP North Tournament which will be hosted by Northern Michigan at Vandament Arena in Marquette, Michigan Aug. 27-28. SCSU plays Cal State East Bay and host Northern Michigan on Aug. 27 before wrapping up the four-game slate against Tiffin (Ohio) and Michigan Tech on Aug. 28. The Huskies have played Northern Michigan 31 times (12-19, last in 2025) and Michigan Tech 23 times (17-6, last in 2025), sweeping both teams in St. Cloud during the UP North Tournament last season. SCSU has never played Cal State East Bay or Tiffin in volleyball.
The following weekend, St. Cloud State travels to Miami Shores, Florida for the Barry Invitational Sept. 3-5. The Huskies will play Lubbock Christian (Texas) on Sept. 3, Converse (S.C.) and host Barry (Fla.) on Sept. 4 before closing out play in The Sunshine State against Lynn (Fla.) on Sept. 5. SCSU has played Barry twice (0-2, last in 2025) and Lynn once (0-1, last in 2022) but has never matched up against Lubbock Christian or Converse. Last season, the Huskies fell to Barry, 3-1 in St. Cloud during the UP North Tournament.
Northern Sun play starts Sept. 11-12 when Augustana and Wayne State come to St. Cloud for the Huskies 2026 home-opening weekend. The next weekend, SCSU makes its first conference road trip of the season when it travels to play Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls Sept. 18-19. In the latter stages of the NSIC slate, the Huskies will play rival Concordia-St. Paul in a nonconference matchup at Halenbeck Hall on Oct. 20. SCSU's final conference road trip is Oct. 30-31 when they travel to Wayne State and Augustana and the Huskies will close out their conference schedule at home against USF and SMSU on Nov. 6-7.
In total, the Huskies will play 11 home regular season matches (10 in conference play). The NSIC Tournament will open with the quarterfinals at home sites on Nov. 10 and will finish at the highest remaining seed for the semifinals and championship match Nov. 13-14 or Nov. 14-15. The NCAA Central Region Tournament is slated for Nov. 19-22 at the home site of the No. 1 seed, and the NCAA Championships will take place at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri Dec. 3-5.
SCSU will play seven matches against five teams who made the 2025 NCAA DII Tournament (Barry [1], Concordia-St. Paul [2], Lubbock Christian [1], Lynn [1] and Wayne State [2]) and 11 matches against seven teams who were ranked/receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/TARAFLEX DII Final Poll – No. 2 CSP (2), No. 6 Barry (1), No. 10 Wayne State (2), No. 16 SMSU (2), No. 19 Lynn (1), (RV) Minnesota State (1) and (RV) Sioux Falls (2). The Huskies made its second consecutive NCAA Sweet 16/Central Region Championship and finished the season ranked No. 5, tying the best-ever final ranking in program history.
The 2026 Huskies Volleyball Season Ticket Package can be purchased for $60/seat at SCSUTickets.com or by calling 320-308-2137. The package includes a general admission ticket to each of the 11 regular season home matches. Additionally, you can purchase single match tickets.
2026 SCHEDULE | SCHEDULE RELEASE
BUY SEASON TICKETS | BUY SINGLE MATCH TICKETS | SEASON TICKET RELEASE
WHAT THE PACK BRINGS BACK IN 2026
SCSU returns the following from last season:
- Two American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Second Team All-Americans
- Three NCAA Central Regional All-Tournament Team members
- Two AVCA & Division-II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region performers
- Two All- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) First Team selections
- Two NSIC All-Tournament Team picks
The Huskies are coming off another historic season in which they:
- Advanced to their sixth straight NCAA Tournament/11th in program history
- Advanced to their second consecutive/fourth overall NCAA region championship in program history (also third in last four seasons).
- En route to the region championship, the Huskies beat the No. 17 team in the nation before taking down the No. 2 team and tournament host, Nebraska Kearney, on their home court.
- Tied the program record for NCAA Tournament wins in a season (two – 4x; 1995, 2022, 2024, 2025)
- Won their second consecutive/fourth overall NSIC Tournament championship (all in last five years) after taking down the No. 13, No. 2 and No. 5 teams in the country
- Were ranked inside the top 16 of the AVCA Poll every week and finished the season ranked No. 5 for the second straight season (third time ever)
- Earned wins over 13 ranked opponents including four against top five teams
- Had three AVCA Second Team All-Americans
- Had three All-Central Region performers (AVCA – 3x first team; D2CCA – 1x first team, 2x second team)
- Earned one AVCA DII National weekly honor
- Had four NCAA Central Regional All-Tournament Team selections
- Had four NSIC All-Tournament Team selections
- Had a player earn the NSIC Elite 18 Award for the first time in program history (10th Husky overall)
- Had four All-NSIC performers (3x first team, 1x second team)
- Earned two NSIC weekly awards
- Had one College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® selection (fourth in program history)
- Had four CSC Academic All-District® selections
- Had 10 NSIC All-Academic Team selections (nine also named to All-Academic Team of Excellence)
Players Mentioned
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